House Hunters International - General Discussion

[Ohwell]

1 hour ago, MartyQui said:

Cabo...was something wrong with the husband's face?  He looked like he had a facelift or fillers of some kind?

To me he looked like he had dentures.   But yeah, his face did look strange.   

[scrb]

I thought the wife had the face lift.

Anyways they were so preoccupied with having enough room to entertain.

If they didn't, they could have just picked the place with the views.

Edited February 29, 2020 by scrb

[seacliffsal]

My policy towards the "new" Fan Favs episodes will be to just delete them without watching as they are featuring house hunters that I didn't enjoy the first time, so why would I watch second time?  I hate it when any show will tag a rerun as "new" just to get us all to record/watch it.

[chessiegal]

Yeah, as soon as I saw HH was a fan fav, I didn't record it.

[NosyCat]

The Cabo couple were highly annoying. The husband had this strange fixation on "the Arch." When I saw it, I was like "THAT's it?" However, the big annoyance was the wife. She has definitely messed with her face with something: fillers, botox, or surgery. She talked in an unenthused monotone most of the time. They have only been married for over a year? I say, whoever brought the big bucks to the marriage picks the house. This wife is a downer with her complaining and ridiculous comments. They picked the right place though.

[buttersister]

São Paulo Couple: How do you say bullshit in Portuguese? He’s freaked out by paying $300 over his “budget” while transferring from Ann Arbor to run a global tech company, what? Maybe he needs the extra cash to pay for three households, current one, daughter in A2 and son from first marriage? LOL!

From the No Laughing Matter Dept.: I knew a young NY fam who lived in São Paulo for a couple years—he had a top job with a global bank. All I heard about was high security and how no one went anywhere without bodyguards.

[Koalagirl]

Saw Paulo husband was a complete dud.  Big deal that the microwave or whatever that was in the third apartment didn’t match.  Go buy one that does so that you only have a five minute walk to work.

[scrb]

Yeah he walked to work but the buildings all had bars at the bottom and some of the terraces had something like chain linked fence.

Someone once told me if you left shoes outside the door they’d be gone.

 

[LittleIggy]

On 3/3/2020 at 8:18 PM, chessiegal said:

Yeah, as soon as I saw HH was a fan fav, I didn't record it.

They don’t even bother to add “extra” info.

[biakbiak]

1 hour ago, scrb said:

Yeah he walked to work but the buildings all had bars at the bottom and some of the terraces had something like chain linked fence.

Traffic in Sao Paolo is so bad that walking to work would be a main requirement for many people. My dad used to work there and his commute varies between an hour to over two for a twelve mile trip. One time it took five hours! Luckily one of the perks of his job was having a driver so he could read and work but it was super annoying.

[LittleIggy]

Sap Paolo: The wife was so obsessed with her daughter who wouldn’t be there that often having a room. That was annoying.

Amsterdam: I like Sarah a lot now! The place in de Pijp was awesome. Too bad the wife was more concerned with space for guests than how far her husband would have to travel to work. IMO, his needs trumped her parents’. 

[Grrarrggh]

1 hour ago, LittleIggy said:

Sap Paolo: The wife was so obsessed with her daughter who wouldn’t be there that often having a room. That was annoying.

Not really that annoying. She didn't want her daughter to feel like a guest, she wanted her to feel like a member of the family. Make sense to me. Same for her step-son. When he stayed she wanted him to have an actual room. That wasn't like the people who want an entire room for adult visitors that MAY come for a week a year.

[LittleIggy]

25 minutes ago, Grrarrggh said:

Not really that annoying. She didn't want her daughter to feel like a guest, she wanted her to feel like a member of the family. Make sense to me. Same for her step-son. When he stayed she wanted him to have an actual room. That wasn't like the people who want an entire room for adult visitors that MAY come for a week a year.

But she always mentioned the third bedroom being “for Emily” not “the kids.” Obviously the stepson would be visiting more often.

[Grrarrggh]

12 minutes ago, LittleIggy said:

But she always mentioned the third bedroom being “for Emily” not “the kids.” Obviously the stepson would be visiting more often.

She actually said the kids a number of times. I remember because I was slightly surprised and pleased. 

[LittleIggy]

“For Emily” outnumbered “ the kids.”  Not going to argue the topic. Buh-bye.

Edited March 6, 2020 by LittleIggy

[buttersister]

Amsterdam. I liked his glasses, more than his whining about biking 30 minutes to work. Your family moved farther than that, sport, so naturally he went for the place that would make them (read: wife) happy. In related news, I want that sink with all the waters!

[LittleIggy]

10 hours ago, buttersister said:

Amsterdam. I liked his glasses, more than his whining about biking 30 minutes to work. Your family moved farther than that, sport, so naturally he went for the place that would make them (read: wife) happy. In related news, I want that sink with all the waters!

I think the wife came off as the whiney one with her insistence on guest space over his desire for a shorter commute. At the end, he said the work/life balance wasn’t what he wanted due to the commute.

[NJMom]

3 minutes ago, LittleIggy said:

I think the wife came off as the whiney one with her insistence on guest space over his desire for a shorter commute. At the end, he said the work/life balance wasn’t what he wanted due to the commute.

It was BS.  He wasn't going to take his bike. Almost every town and small village has a train station in Holland. He was going to bike to the station and take the train in.

[amarante]

I just saw the Gandia(? spelling) episode from Spain.

I am genuinely confused by people who move to a foreign country with limited resources and buy a home instead of renting.

In this episode, their budget was $100,000 but there have been other episodes in which it is clear that the have limited resources.

I can't imagine moving ANYWHERE and buying a home immediately if I had limited assets. I would feel much safer renting for a bit and having a nest egg in the bank for economic contingencies. 

[chessiegal]

Considering how fake the HHI back stories are, I wouldn't be surprised to learn the couple in Spain had been living there for years. And honey, if you can't make mac 'n cheese on one burner, you're not much of a cook.

[LittleIggy]

3 hours ago, NJMom said:

It was BS.  He wasn't going to take his bike. Almost every town and small village has a train station in Holland. He was going to bike to the station and take the train in.

I kept waiting for Sarah to mention public transportation.

[scrb]

14 hours ago, buttersister said:

Amsterdam. I liked his glasses, more than his whining about biking 30 minutes to work. Your family moved farther than that, sport, so naturally he went for the place that would make them (read: wife) happy. In related news, I want that sink with all the waters!

Well it would be a PITA is rain, which is something associated with Amsterdam.

1 minute ago, LittleIggy said:

I kept waiting for Sarah to mention public transportation.

But she drives the House Hunters to the places so she herself may not use it much.

Luxembourg, they chose a house with a lot of land, going off into the trees in the back.

Wife said she was outvoted by the hubby, son and dog.

She wanted the expensive place with the real nice kitchen and a nice manicured yard.

He wanted to keep the price down and argued that the son would want room to kick the soccer ball around and for the dog to roam around.

OK but who's going to maintain all that land?

[TVForever]

Just curious:

Is HHI winding down production? We've gone from a new episode EVERYDAY in prime time to (maybe) 1 new episode a week which airs on Wednesday afternoons ( I admit, I'm guessing o that- I have my DVR set for new episodes, and they just seem to show up at random).

And don't get me started on the "Fan Fave" episodes, which show up as new.

Anybody know what's going on?

[buttersister]

On 3/6/2020 at 3:05 PM, scrb said:

OK but who's going to maintain all that land?

The lawn service they hire and pay with the money they saved.

[LittleIggy]

3 hours ago, TVForever said:

Just curious:

Is HHI winding down production? We've gone from a new episode EVERYDAY in prime time to (maybe) 1 new episode a week which airs on Wednesday afternoons ( I admit, I'm guessing o that- I have my DVR set for new episodes, and they just seem to show up at random).

And don't get me started on the "Fan Fave" episodes, which show up as new.

Anybody know what's going on?

Whatever it is, the Coronavirus isn’t going to help.

[pep4]

Utrecht:  Fussy realtor cracked me up.  The whole "We gotsta find ya a girlyfriend" seemed, uh, forced.  Like there's something he (or 'friend') didn't want mom to know.  I kept expecting an Adobe Stock Photo watermark over the brief, random, and bored 'possible girlfriend' in the final credits.

Edited March 13, 2020 by pep4

[biakbiak]

I find that Netherlands realtor annoying as fuck!

[scrb]

Sarah’s great, she really tries to sell the place but stays chipper in the face of all the nitpicking.

In this ep. she said the chiropractors were confident about their field but you could tell she thinks it’s bullshit.  She never played the “you’re not real doctors” card though it would have been awesome if she had.

The guy was backseat driving when she was backing up her car and she rolled her eyes, she knows her own car better than him.

Yeah the producers really had him and the others talk about his love life over and over again.  Well, if it kept them from talking more about chiropractic ...

[biakbiak]

23 minutes ago, scrb said:

Sarah’s great, she really tries to sell the place but stays chipper in the face of all the nitpicking.

I find she ignores genuine issues, thinks she is more clever than she is and comes up with lame catch phrase that she repeats over and over and seems to be auditioning for a show of her own. 

Edited March 13, 2020 by biakbiak

[LittleIggy]

Utrecht: I like Sarah. My fave was the first place. Star Lord is adorable!

[Tony]

The entire Utrecht episode was way too cringey for me. It's like a bad 90's sitcom with some real estate thrown in.

[ArtFossil]

On 3/13/2020 at 3:25 AM, biakbiak said:

I find that Netherlands realtor annoying as fuck!

I LOVE her!

[chessiegal]

34 minutes ago, ArtFossil said:

I LOVE her!

Me too! Her looks to the camera when she's thinking - are you kidding me - are hilarious. 

[seacliffsal]

I get tired of her use of "jinormous."  Fortunately she only said it once in this episode, but in an earlier one she said it more than once.

Liked the friend but not the househunter.  However, I loved the apartment he bought.

[amarante]

On 3/13/2020 at 1:21 AM, biakbiak said:

I find she ignores genuine issues, thinks she is more clever than she is and comes up with lame catch phrase that she repeats over and over and seems to be auditioning for a show of her own. 

I don't find her problematic as she is generally dealing with idiots with no conception of the kind of compromises necessary in a European metropolitan area. 

The Dutch real estate seems to be particularly problematic - at least to me. Either you live in the suburbs or you are going to be living in a very narrow home with steep stairs. Homes will often have odd angles and cut off ceilings because it's the nature of the housing stock.

At least in other European cities the homes seem more like standard urban apartments versus the kind of suburban homes many of the HHI are used to. It could be that I am more familiar with these kinds of compromises in living but I find Amsterdam units to be particularly unappealing to me - while I can live with one bathroom, I don't think I could deal with a three story apartment with one bathroom reached by narrow steep stairs.

[sempervivum]

Italian woman/American man from Middle East to Apulia, Italy. I have no idea if this was new, as the Spectrum guide function now refuses to give the air date of these programs. 

Anyway, he was patronizing, telling her she 'saw only problems, while he saw opportunities'. She was annoying, repeatedly insisting that they had to live within easy hailing distance of 'Mama' (their putative rationale for choosing this region). They chose the shell of a 12th century villa, and were reconstructing it to their dream home at the end. Given what's happening in Italy, hope they got it done in time to hunker in place.

[TVForever]

Apulia , Italy:

Of course the full renovation was the best of that lot. 1.2 million for a so-so B&B with small living quarters upstairs?

i would love the producers to do a HHI: Renovation episode with this couple a year from now. The plans we could glimpse on paper look like it will be a wonderful property when they’re done.

[Jodithgrace]

Alas, that Italian renovation episode was dated 2020, so I doubt that got much done before all hell broke loose in Italy. So sad. 

I twas interesting that her job seemed to involve predicting and planning for  unexpected catastrophes. Though she was working remotely, so not doing this job for Italy. They both worked for Government agencies, but what government were they working for? Since they lived in Abu dhabi, perhaps it was the UAE? Whatever, I think that adorable puppy is going to be a full grown dog by the time that move into that house.  

[seacliffsal]

I found the idea of having to have a pool in Italy to be...interesting.  Not a home feature that I would assume would be that common.  With that I thought they would choose the renovation which had some fabulous features.

[scrb]

Apulia is a province not a city.  They showed a lot of pictures of Lecce, the "Florence of the South" which has had a lot of beautiful old cathedrals renovated.

Generally prices are lower so I was somewhat surprised by the price range.

Yeah it would be interesting to see how it turns out.  The first and third choices weren't great values but they're in towns so there are restaurants and bars, which they would patronize unless they started raising a family.

[TVForever]

2 hours ago, seacliffsal said:

I found the idea of having to have a pool in Italy to be...interesting.  Not a home feature that I would assume would be that common.  With that I thought they would choose the renovation which had some fabulous features.

Serious question:

Are pools specifically NOT a thing in southern Italy? If so, why not? 

[Grrarrggh]

6 hours ago, Jodithgrace said:

Whatever, I think that adorable puppy is going to be a full grown dog by the time that move into that house.  

They already had a full grown dog, the puppies were just extra fun for viewers 🙂

[kirklandia]

Apulia Italy.  She says "I work in the resilience sector. We always prepare the governments for the worst case scenario".
I'll bet she has her hands full.

Edited March 20, 2020 by kirklandia

[chessiegal]

18 minutes ago, kirklandia said:

Apulia Italy.  She says "I work in the resilience sector. We always prepare the governments for the worst case scenario". I'll bet she has her hands full.

If she's working with the US, I'd say she's frustrated they aren't listening. 

[LittleIggy]

Apulia, Italy: Yeah, I immediately thought about the Corona virus, too. ☹️

[sempervivum]

Issaquah, WA to Brighton, UK- The couple originally met in London, and always wanted to return; they also think living in a $3.5K/month house in a wealthy tourist city with their 3 teens will teach them about the greater world.

Dad particularly believes that a rental with some chipped paint and 'outdated' appliances will show those darn kids how the other half lives. 😑 

 

[scrb]

Obviously things producers suggested that he say.

They wanted some roomy place in a convenient location and that's what they went for.

I wonder how they dealt with that bathroom with shower heads on a tall ceiling with no shower curtains.

 

[Pine]

I live near the Issaquah to Brighton family.  The house they currently own and live in, is not very big or expensive to Microsoft Land standards.  Older Subaru and mini van owners, not the hoity toity big spenders the show made them out to be.  Nice kids, Mother a bit too helicoptery.  They are big into the Green New Deal.  So again, nice kids, parent's trying too hard to be more than they are.  JMHO of course.  

[LittleIggy]

Brighton: Dad annoyed the 💩 out of me with his wanting imperfections. Then live in a tenement, asshole.

[sempervivum]

13 hours ago, Pine said:

not the hoity toity big spenders the show made them out to be.  Nice kids, Mother a bit too helicoptery.  They are big into the Green New Deal. 

I thought they were nice, by the standards of a reality show. And I'm sure they were given the 'theme' by the showrunners. As far as spending, well, they're paying what to most Americans would be big bucks for housing, without working, and with 3 kids all on the cusp of college, all basically on a whim. So clearly they're 1) big earners and 2) big savers. Hope they still have jobs to go back to post-COVID 19.

But can I point out the self indulgence and tone-deafness of people who 'believe in the GND' jetting to what is essentially a long vacation in the UK?  Yeah, Dad, you can walk to the bakery. BFD.