House Hunters International - General Discussion

[Ohwell]

7 minutes ago, topanga said:

I thought the boyfriend/fiancé was mean to Lauren. He told her 3 times that he wasn’t sure they were ready to live together. And they’d already moved to Australia together!!

I missed that part because I guess I was too busy focusing on how mismatched they were together.  He was not into her at all.  As with most of these HHI stories, something just doesn't add up.  We just don't know what that is.

[topanga]

40 minutes ago, Ohwell said:

I missed that part because I guess I was too busy focusing on how mismatched they were together.  He was not into her at all.  As with most of these HHI stories, something just doesn't add up.  We just don't know what that is.

Maybe she’s his beard. Although I don’t know why he’d need one in Australia. 

[Ohwell]

8 minutes ago, topanga said:

Maybe she’s his beard. Although I don’t know why he’d need one in Australia. 

I hadn't thought about that.  Or maybe he owes her some poker debt and she said a trip to Australia would settle the debt?

[LittleIggy]

Toronto to Limerick: I’m glad they picked the place with the donkey and pony neighbors! I would be back there feeding those cuties, too. I liked the third place, too. The husband already looked Irish. Wonder if there was a pub nearby? 😆

[Booklady1017]

21 hours ago, topanga said:

 

I thought the boyfriend/fiancé was mean to Lauren. He told her 3 times that he wasn’t sure they were ready to live together. And they’d already moved to Australia together!!  I know the show is staged and they’d already been living together for a while. Still, that’s something pretty humiliating to say on TV multiple times, knowing that her family and friends (and HER) would have to watch and listen to him saying that in perpetuity. Plus, he called her messy—and not in a joking, quirky way. Lauren did take some jabs at him, too, though they weren’t as mean—she called him a computer nerd and correctly pointed out that she’s the one who does all of the cooking, even though he wanted to decide what kind of kitchen they’d have. I wonder if this couple will be together in a year.

I wonder too if this couple will end up staying together.

20 hours ago, Ohwell said:

I missed that part because I guess I was too busy focusing on how mismatched they were together.  He was not into her at all.  As with most of these HHI stories, something just doesn't add up.  We just don't know what that is.

I hear what you are saying OhWell. I think so too.

20 hours ago, topanga said:

Maybe she’s his beard. Although I don’t know why he’d need one in Australia. 

That's possible, but maybe his parents don't know about him?

1 minute ago, LittleIggy said:

Toronto to Limerick: I’m glad they picked the place with the donkey and pony neighbors! I would be back there feeding those cuties, too. I liked the third place, too. The husband already looked Irish. Wonder if there was a pub nearby? 😆

The first place seemed like a good compromise. It definitely had the rural feel but it seemed close to that village that had the store, probably a pub and maybe a bakery? And those animals were so cute! I'm glad they picked that place.

[mojito]

Winnipeg to Limerick

There once was a couple from Winnipeg....(it's a work in progress)

What a nice couple. They mentioned a couple times that this would be a relocation of a few years so I'm glad they chose the house in the country. Who couldn't last a little while there? 

I was stunned that the third estate went so cheaply at just $50 over budget. But who could resist that artsy throne and those critters?

[doodlebug]

11 hours ago, mojito said:

Winnipeg to Limerick

There once was a couple from Winnipeg....(it's a work in progress)

What a nice couple. They mentioned a couple times that this would be a relocation of a few years so I'm glad they chose the house in the country. Who couldn't last a little while there? 

I was stunned that the third estate went so cheaply at just $50 over budget. But who could resist that artsy throne and those critters?

They were both such likable people.  I'll bet they're a lot of fun as neighbors.  I am a sucker for ponies and donkeys and would've picked the place they chose in a heartbeat.  I liked all the places they looked, though, many Irish homes have a real quirky charm to them from what I've seen on the show.

[SmithW6079]

I hated the Limerick couple. He was whiny and passive-aggressive,  and she kept making snide remarks at his expense. I found them unpleasant to watch.

[Booklady1017]

On 12/21/2018 at 9:26 PM, mojito said:

Winnipeg to Limerick

There once was a couple from Winnipeg....(it's a work in progress)

What a nice couple. They mentioned a couple times that this would be a relocation of a few years so I'm glad they chose the house in the country. Who couldn't last a little while there? 

I was stunned that the third estate went so cheaply at just $50 over budget. But who could resist that artsy throne and those critters?

I liked that couple too and I loved that home with the animals.

[Kenzie]

On 12/21/2018 at 6:26 PM, mojito said:

Winnipeg to Limerick

There once was a couple from Winnipeg....(it's a work in progress)

What a nice couple. They mentioned a couple times that this would be a relocation of a few years so I'm glad they chose the house in the country. Who couldn't last a little while there? 

I was stunned that the third estate went so cheaply at just $50 over budget. But who could resist that artsy throne and those critters?

I've never seen a floral painted toilet before. They wanted charm and the certainly got it. Quite the conversation piece.

The animals and ready-to-go vegetable garden were icing on the cake.

[LittleIggy]

MN to Nairobi: The husband really annoyed me when he leaned out of the balcony just to be able to get a glimpse of the neighbors’ balcony (it was not adjacent) and said “Is that the neighbors’ balcony? That will take getting used to (or words to that effect).” 🙄

I loved that house! I bet it would be easy to hire someone to do the yard work and also hire a housekeeper to come in weekly. However, I can understand the wife not wanting to be isolated.

Edited December 25, 2018 by LittleIggy

[Booklady1017]

On 12/25/2018 at 12:11 AM, LittleIggy said:

MN to Nairobi: The husband really annoyed me when he leaned out of the balcony just to be able to get a glimpse of the neighbors’ balcony (it was not adjacent) and said “Is that the neighbors’ balcony? That will take getting used to (or words to that effect).” 🙄

I loved that house! I bet it would be easy to hire someone to do the yard work and also hire a housekeeper to come in weekly. However, I can understand the wife not wanting to be isolated.

I don't feel like it was a big deal to have neighbor's balconies like that, as you said it was not even that close. The house was great but not that practical for the family because of its isolation.

[msmarjoribanks]

Bristol, I liked the family, and couldn't decide whether they would get 1 or 2, so was glad they showed them having difficulty deciding, even if it was fake.  Seemed like a decent choice.  

[Booklady1017]

8 hours ago, msmarjoribanks said:

Bristol, I liked the family, and couldn't decide whether they would get 1 or 2, so was glad they showed them having difficulty deciding, even if it was fake.  Seemed like a decent choice.  

I liked the house they chose, but they never commented on how the wife fared being out in the country and driving there.

[biakbiak]

1 hour ago, Booklady1017 said:

I liked the house they chose, but they never commented on how the wife fared being out in the country and driving there.

I wondered about that as well also having to have two cars would increase their budget and the house was already 200 over.

I wonder if something happened on the day they filmed the main before interview because she was crying and looked so upset about moving but seemed fine during all the other segments and the final interview so was wondering if she was just extra emotional that day.

Edited December 27, 2018 by biakbiak

[Booklady1017]

5 hours ago, biakbiak said:

I wondered about that as well also having to have two cars would increase their budget and the house was already 200 over.

I wonder if something happened on the day they filmed the main before interview because she was crying and looked so upset about moving but seemed fine during all the other segments and the final interview so was wondering if she was just extra emotional that day.

I didn't even realize that. And regarding the budget, I would think for sure that 2 cars would definitely up the budget much more than 200 dollars a month. I wonder if he drove the older daughter to school? 

[doodlebug]

On ‎12‎/‎27‎/‎2018 at 4:16 PM, Booklady1017 said:

I didn't even realize that. And regarding the budget, I would think for sure that 2 cars would definitely up the budget much more than 200 dollars a month. I wonder if he drove the older daughter to school? 

I haven’t been to Bristol, but the system of public transportation in England is excellent.  There is undoubtedly a public bus line that the older daughter can use to get to school; I am sure many of her classmates will be doing the same and she’ll have friends to commute with soon.  British school kids on public transport is a very common sight.  If mom is worried about her getting to school at first, she can ride the bus with her.  The mom sounded reluctant to drive while in Britain, there is no reason she has to drive there.  I think many Americans would be surprised at how many Brits don’t drive, don’t have cars and use public transportation for everything.

Edited December 30, 2018 by doodlebug

[LittleIggy]

SA to Sydney: I feel bad for the wife not getting anything she wanted (like the Bristol wife).

[Pickles]

I didn't feel bad for the Sydney wife not getting her beach high rise. Wasn't the commute time for her husband really long from that location? She still got a nice house and it sounded like they were going to the beach every weekend. She rubbed me the wrong way in the beginning, because she said her husband had gotten a job offer in the U.K., but she nixed that idea because she couldn't deal with the weather. Really? If the husband is the wage earner and he had a great opportunity to advance his career, I would be onboard to go just about anywhere unless it was a third world country, dangerous place, etc. The weather would not put me off. Plus, it is not like the U.K. is the North Pole, nor does it rain every day. And, most likely, the move is only for a couple of years and then they probably head back to South Africa. 

[biakbiak]

56 minutes ago, Pickles said:

She rubbed me the wrong way in the beginning, because she said her husband had gotten a job offer in the U.K., but she nixed that idea because she couldn't deal with the weather

I can’t fault her for that, weather can really impact some people’s moods in a way that dramatically affects people’s lives. Also, when talking about the view over the ocean he said it would eventually get boring after a few years so it seemed a fairly permanent move which is quite common because they are both Commonwealth nations. 

[sempervivum]

I'm pretty sure the Sydney wife said they were going to be there for 3-5 years. At the rate things are going in South Africa, they may never return. Anyway, 3-5 years is a long time in a gloomy climate if you've always lived in sun- I feel her. 

Her husband was beautiful and I loved his name-Tertius! I assume he's a third son?

[Babalooie]

2 hours ago, sempervivum said:

Her husband was beautiful

On a shallow note, at first I thought that she was an agent.  If she would lighten her hair, she would look younger.  That color was just not attractive on her.   The chosen house was beautiful.

[LittleIggy]

Tertius is a name straight out of Middlemarch by George Eliot. 

Bristol: I felt bad for the wife having to leave a job she had had for 18 years. What kind of company (the husband’s) gives someone 48 hours to make a decision like that?

[biakbiak]

8 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

Tertius is a name straight out of Middlemarch by George Eliot. 

Also the Bible.

[Booklady1017]

On 12/27/2018 at 9:54 PM, doodlebug said:

I haven’t been to Bristol, but the system of public transportation in England is excelllent.  There is undoubtedly a public bus line that the older daughter can use to get to school; I am sure many of her classmates will be doing the same and she’ll have friends to commute with soon.  British school kids on public transport is a very common sight.  If mom is worried about her getting to school at first, she can ride the bus with her.  The mom sounded reluctant to drive while in Britain, there is no reason she has to drive there.  I think many Americans would be surprised at how many Brits don’t drive, don’t have cars and use public transportation for everything.

Thank you for sharing. I was wondering about that.

18 hours ago, Babalooie said:

On a shallow note, at first I thought that she was an agent.  If she would lighten her hair, she would look younger.  That color was just not attractive on her.   The chosen house was beautiful.

I agree about her hair. And I think it all worked out because she got to go to the beach every weekend and has a great house.

[Booklady1017]

8 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

Tertius is a name straight out of Middlemarch by George Eliot. 

Bristol: I felt bad for the wife having to leave a job she had had for 18 years. What kind of company (the husband’s) gives someone 48 hours to make a decision like that?

I agree about that. That wasn’t enough time to decide to make a move like that to Bristol, UK. I felt bad for her.

[Booklady1017]

I was wondering if anyone here comments on the repeats. I have watched some of them for the first time and want to comment on them but I don't know how to find them on here.

[chessiegal]

8 minutes ago, Booklady1017 said:

I was wondering if anyone here comments on the repeats. I have watched some of them for the first time and want to comment on them but I don't know how to find them on here.

People do comment on repeats. Snark away.

[ML89]

14 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

Bristol: I felt bad for the wife having to leave a job she had had for 18 years. What kind of company (the husband’s) gives someone 48 hours to make a decision like that?

As the child of two teachers who got pensions, I was worried - 18 years sounded like she was short of getting her full retirement benefits as well. Later in the episode, she said something about coming back home, so I guess she can pick up her teaching again, but probably not at the school she was used to. That did sound bizarre - "decide if you want to change your life in a weekend!"

[Neurochick]

Phoenix to China:  What non standard English?  Both of them spoke normal English to me.

[SmithW6079]

On 12/5/2018 at 3:11 AM, Grrarrggh said:

Ohwell 15 hours ago said The real estate agent was very attractive as well.  I've noticed on the HHI episodes recently that the real estate agents, both male and female, are attractive it seems than in the past, and I wonder if that's on purpose to attract more viewers to the show.   

 

Considering that a lot of the real estate agents aren't ACTUALLY real estate agents, I'd definitely say they cast them based on looks. 

I think when they're legit real estate agents, the show identifies them as "real estate agent," otherwise, it's "property consultant."

I hated both the Bristol and Sydney wives -- I thought they were awful. If they aren't truly horrid people, but the result of editing, why aren't more women complaining about the way they're  portrayed?

I've been binge watching YouTube videos where individuals show off their apartments. A lot of the ones I watch are Westerners in Tokyo or Seoul. 

Regarding teaching English overseas: The guy who runs the Red Dragon YouTube channel shares his thoughts on ESL teaching in Korea.

Edited December 30, 2018 by SmithW6079

[chessiegal]

26 minutes ago, SmithW6079 said:

A lot of the ones I watch ate Westerners in Tokyo or Seoul. 

I realize this is a typo (I hope!), but cannibalism on HGTV  seems more suitable to TLC. ;-)

[SmithW6079]

48 minutes ago, chessiegal said:

I realize this is a typo (I hope!), but cannibalism on HGTV  seems more suitable to TLC. ;-)

Fat fingers, small smartphone keyboard. 😉

[msmarjoribanks]

10 hours ago, chessiegal said:

People do comment on repeats. Snark away.

I definitely do.  Go for it!

[kirklandia]

Playing catch-up.  Sydney - she was ridiculously dismissive of the very nice modern apartments.   But I also prefer character and would have grabbed that funky place in a heartbeat for the cool outdoor space and harbor view.  A pink bathtub is not the worst thing.  Surprised they picked it.  

They asked the realtor "How old is this place" and he said "1900s"!  Obviously, this guy knows his stuff...

HH, sitting among the wild rose-breasted cockatoos, said "the birds here are the worst I've ever seen".  🤯 Sorry fella, you are on my shit list forever.

Edited December 31, 2018 by kirklandia

[biakbiak]

Spain: I assumed she was pregnant given the way they were talking about kids so was surprised they didn’t reveal that at the end or maybe they did mine cut off.

I thought they were a sweet and cute couple but I really could have done without all the IVF stuff, give me fake cooking classes and awkward interactions with locals any day over that! 

[mojito]

Quote

 

Phoenix to China:  What non standard English?  Both of them spoke normal English to me.

 

I don't recall the exact language used, but both of the House Hunters made wince-worthy grammatical errors in their speech. 

[doodlebug]

11 hours ago, biakbiak said:

Spain: I assumed she was pregnant given the way they were talking about kids so was surprised they didn’t reveal that at the end or maybe they did mine cut off.

I thought they were a sweet and cute couple but I really could have done without all the IVF stuff, give me fake cooking classes and awkward interactions with locals any day over that! 

They did reveal it at the end, showed the ultrasound photo, you must've just missed it.  They seemed like a nice couple, hope things go well for them.

[SmithW6079]

The Spain couple was the first couple in a long time where I liked both parties. There was minimal drama, and I liked the rent vs. buy twist. They seemed like reasonable people, respectful of each other. I figured she would be pregnant at the end of the episode. 

I don't remember the name of the husband in the Sweden episode, but I think it started with a "W," because I immediately tacked on "the Whiner." What a little bitch. When he complained about the kitchen in the third place, saying he had that size kitchen in college, I had to roll my eyes. I'm 35 years out of college; I wish the kitchen I have now was that size. 

And all the whining about outdoor space for the kid. He's a toddler, and you moved to a country where it's winter six months out of the year; he's not going to be outside all the time. I had to roll my eyes again when he asked about the "midnight sun," afraid it would disturb his beauty sleep.

I will give him props for his answer to the bathtub drama -- that they'd do what Swedes did when they needed to bath their children.

I don't have kids, so maybe this is a thing, but I'm always suspicious when parents say they live for their kids. That's a kid who will grow up to be a spoiled, entitled little snowflake.

[biakbiak]

11 hours ago, doodlebug said:

hey did reveal it at the end, showed the ultrasound photo, you must've just missed it.  They seemed like a nice couple, hope things go well for them.

Thanks. My recording always cuts off the last 15-30 seconds but usually I don’t miss anything of note. 

[Booklady1017]

On 12/29/2018 at 2:09 PM, chessiegal said:

People do comment on repeats. Snark away.

I forgot the ones I wanted to comment on. Oh well. Maybe if I see one that really sticks with me, positively or negatively, I will comment on it next time. Thanks Chessie.

On 12/31/2018 at 1:39 PM, biakbiak said:

Spain: I assumed she was pregnant given the way they were talking about kids so was surprised they didn’t reveal that at the end or maybe they did mine cut off.

I thought they were a sweet and cute couple but I really could have done without all the IVF stuff, give me fake cooking classes and awkward interactions with locals any day over that! 

I'm happy they were pregnant too at the end of the episode, but I could have done without hearing about all the IVF stuff too. 

On 1/1/2019 at 11:15 AM, SmithW6079 said:

The Spain couple was the first couple in a long time where I liked both parties. There was minimal drama, and I liked the rent vs. buy twist. They seemed like reasonable people, respectful of each other. I figured she would be pregnant at the end of the episode. 

I don't remember the name of the husband in the Sweden episode, but I think it started with a "W," because I immediately tacked on "the Whiner." What a little bitch. When he complained about the kitchen in the third place, saying he had that size kitchen in college, I had to roll my eyes. I'm 35 years out of college; I wish the kitchen I have now was that size. 

And all the whining about outdoor space for the kid. He's a toddler, and you moved to a country where it's winter six months out of the year; he's not going to be outside all the time. I had to roll my eyes again when he asked about the "midnight sun," afraid it would disturb his beauty sleep.

I will give him props for his answer to the bathtub drama -- that they'd do what Swedes did when they needed to bath their children.

I don't have kids, so maybe this is a thing, but I'm always suspicious when parents say they live for their kids. That's a kid who will grow up to be a spoiled, entitled little snowflake.

The Spain couple was very nice. I had no complaints about them and I'm happy they will be able to have a child. Good for them. Yeah the husband in Sweden was silly to worry about certain things that weren't a bit of a concern. I think they could find parks for the kid anyhow and the kitchens looked adequate for an apartment in my opinion. 

[Kohola3]

Florida to Croatia - I was incensed to think that a physician would own a bunch of tanning salons.  Shame on him!  I couldn't even enjoy the episode thinking of the clients with skin cancer because of him.  Ugh.

[pep4]

Jax-Croatia looked May-December, or am I off?

[LittleIggy]

55 minutes ago, pep4 said:

Jax-Croatia looked May-December, or am I off?

Not at all! He looked old enough to be her dad. 

 

1 hour ago, Kohola3 said:

Florida to Croatia - I was incensed to think that a physician would own a bunch of tanning salons.  Shame on him!  I couldn't even enjoy the episode thinking of the clients with skin cancer because of him.  Ugh.

He worked for Doctors Without Borders. That didn’t necessarily mean he was a physician. He could have been an orderly or a driver. Doesn’t mean I like tanning salons. I wonder how he will be able to run the business successfully from Croatia.

The view was amazing at the place they picked. Except for the tiny fridge what was wrong with the kitchen.

Real estate agent was cute! 

[buttersister]

I missed the beginning but Croatian guy looked like he was thoroughly enjoying his second family. Wonder how long it’ll take to remodel the kitchen? LOL, Long time, I think.

[Kohola3]

8 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

He worked for Doctors Without Borders. That didn’t necessarily mean he was a physician. He could have been an orderly or a driver.

True, I never thought of that. HH is always trying to pull that crap.

Definitely a May-December thing.  The wife was cute and there wasn't a ton of stupid arguing so overall it wasn't a bad episode.

[Booklady1017]

10 hours ago, Kohola3 said:

Florida to Croatia - I was incensed to think that a physician would own a bunch of tanning salons.  Shame on him!  I couldn't even enjoy the episode thinking of the clients with skin cancer because of him.  Ugh.

Was he a physician? I was confused about all that. And he said something about running the business remotely? I would guess he would need some sort of manager at home too, to take care of certain things. I was confused at first what he was doing about the business. 

9 hours ago, pep4 said:

Jax-Croatia looked May-December, or am I off?

He did look a lot older than her.

8 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

Not at all! He looked old enough to be her dad. 

 

He worked for Doctors Without Borders. That didn’t necessarily mean he was a physician. He could have been an orderly or a driver. Doesn’t mean I like tanning salons. I wonder how he will be able to run the business successfully from Croatia.

The view was amazing at the place they picked. Except for the tiny fridge what was wrong with the kitchen.

Real estate agent was cute! 

Florida to Croatia-I didn’t get the big deal about the kitchen except for the refrigerator and it being closed off. Was that her problem with it? Otherwise it wasn’t bad. I was also confused if they had a car or not. It doesn’t look like they have a lot of public transportation, so in that case I could see him wanting to be city center if they didn’t have a car. They didn’t make that clear.

8 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

Not at all! He looked old enough to be her dad. 

 

He worked for Doctors Without Borders. That didn’t necessarily mean he was a physician. He could have been an orderly or a driver. Doesn’t mean I like tanning salons. I wonder how he will be able to run the business successfully from Croatia.

The view was amazing at the place they picked. Except for the tiny fridge what was wrong with the kitchen.

Real estate agent was cute! 

The real estate agent was cute, agreed!

[mojito]

Jacksonville to Croatia

I was impressed with how the wife didn't spot danger for the kids lurking everywhere. I think she once commented on the kids handling a staircase, but that was about it. No worries about the loft or the pool. She did put off the jumping from the rocks for a while. I thought the kitchen had limited counter space and though functional, looked kind of patched together with odd elements.

I thought the real estate agent and the wife made an attractive couple.

Edited January 3, 2019 by mojito

[Booklady1017]

3 minutes ago, mojito said:

Jacksonville to Croatia

I was impressed at how the wife didn't spot danger for the kids lurking everywhere. I think she once commented on the kids handling a staircase, but that was about it. No worries about the loft or the pool. She did put off the jumping from the rocks for a while. I thought the kitchen had limited counter space and though functional, looked kind of patched together with odd elements.

I thought the real estate agent and the wife made an attractive couple.

That’s true. I thought the wife was concerned at first about things that were less important and as concerned about the things you mentioned.

Was the Cabo episode new or old? I don’t recall.

[biakbiak]

Given the pictures they showed and his age at the time of the war which is when he said he was with Doctors Without Borders I assumed he was security not a doctor.

I love Croatia so always get enjoy HH set there.