House Hunters International - General Discussion

[amarante]

On 1/27/2021 at 9:01 AM, aghst said:

There were some people on the streets of Bangkok where they were walking who were masked up.

But the House Hunters  and the agent didn't mask up though they did keep a distance.

I guess the show is going to pretend there isn't a pandemic because they don't want to show the House Hunters or the agent with masks on.

I assumed this was pre-pandemic. People in Asian countries have always routinely worn surgical masks. It's why many of those countries had a few lower per capita rate than the US since the population had no issues with being 100% masked all the time.

If it had been shot during the pandemic, the life on the streets would have been different as the restrictions on business would have been obvious.

[aghst]

1 hour ago, amarante said:

I assumed this was pre-pandemic. People in Asian countries have always routinely worn surgical masks. It's why many of those countries had a few lower per capita rate than the US since the population had no issues with being 100% masked all the time.

If it had been shot during the pandemic, the life on the streets would have been different as the restrictions on business would have been obvious.

The question is, how many of the pre-pandemic footage did they have left after a full year of pandemic?

We assume they were no longer able to film after say April or so.

In the episodes based in Europe, the agents are driving separately from the house hunters when they go to view homes.

Why would they do that pre-pandemic?  I can see taking separate cars once or twice but it seems almost all the ones shot in Europe airing in the last couple of months show separate cars.  Also agents walking a distance from the house hunters, being in wide shots.

[Dehumidifier]

Listening to talk radio I have heard South Korea being referred to as a country that has done a good job of containing corona virus. I just googled. Population 51.71 million. As of 1/29/21 = cases: 77,395 / deaths: 1,399 / recovered 66,503

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/south-korea/

Edited January 29, 2021 by Dehumidifier

[chessiegal]

20 hours ago, buttersister said:

(I don't watch the credits closely enough to know if there's an actual director, or just producer and cameraperson;-)

Some years ago, I saw a House Hunters in New Orleans, and when I saw the 1st house, I thought, gee, that looks like the house across the street from my stepdaughter who lives in New Orleans. Then they had a shot in the street that showed her house and her minivan. I asked her if she saw them filming, and she said, oh, yes. Her kids were absolutely fascinated. She said there were a three people being filmed, a camera man, and what she assumed was a producer. She said they were there about 4 hours, taking multiple takes.

[LittleIggy]

I didn’t find the Air Force guy annoying. I found him rather funny.

[amarante]

On 1/30/2021 at 9:07 PM, LittleIggy said:

I didn’t find the Air Force guy annoying. I found him rather funny.

The guy who moved to the obscure town in Korea? I liked his adventurous spirit even though he did ultimately wind up living with the Army people. I am sometimes annoyed by the "bro" type of characters but this guy seemed to just be an all around good guy. I assume he was in some ways shaped by having to navigate being Asian (at least in appearance) in what was probably a lily white middle American suburban type of town.

 I thought the scene when he was eating bizarre foods with what appeared to be random strangers was hilarious. 

[snarts]

My DVR picked up one of those where are they now episodes as new last night.  Single middle aged redhead from California who moved to Merida, Mexico and bought the large rundown property an hour outside of town. Her budget was $50k.  She originally intended to renovate and rent out rooms.

She's now a local artist, selling paintings & painting murals. Jane Wiedlin from the Go-Gos even made an appearance. She's a former client, now friend.  The still has the original property and also purchased a place in town that acts as a gallery & crashpad. She also adopted another dog and two cats.  Seems extremely happy.

I enjoy the where are they now episodes, especially when the HH originally purchased a dump with the intent to renovate. 

[Cetacean]

11 minutes ago, snarts said:

I enjoy the where are they now episodes, especially when the HH originally purchased a dump with the intent to renovate. 

I remember the first episode and I was horrified. I could not imagine making anything liveable about that place.  Very creative of her to turn it into something halfway decent.

Obviously she's very happy and actually looks younger.  Art must be in the genes since her son is an artist as well.

But her constant peals of laughter got on my last nerve.

[SmithW6079]

I haven't watched this show in a long time. To be honest, the thought of seeing people interact without masks and in close quarters makes me anxious, so I've avoided it.

I did tune in to watch the Air Force guy, and I found him annoying. I didn't pick up that he was half-Asian until he said so, but what puzzled me was he acted like Korea was such a foreign place to him, except he'd been living in Asia for a while now. Yes, I know Japanese culture and Korean culture are different, but it's not like he went from America to Asia with complete culture shock. He never traveled from Japan during his time there or watched a video or anything that might have exposed him to Korean culture?

He was another one who needed space for family to come visit. Dude, did they visit you in Japan? If not, they're probably not going to make the trip to Korea to visit.  And the scene of him in the car getting annoying that an airplane flew over was idiotic. I wonder how long they had to wait to get that shot.

[TheOldRanger]

On 11/13/2020 at 7:35 PM, Grizzly said:

Galicia. I could listen to realtor Nick all day! What an interesting part of Spain, a region I didn't know about. Wonder how much the renovation will be.

I agree, I thought the wit of Nick was quite good, and I never knew about this area of Spain either.  What a refreshing bit of history in addition to the beautiful country.  I would consider living here if I didn't live in the US

[NYGirl]

London tonight.  I LOVE Richard!  I only didn't turn it off because of him.

Did the husband say what his job was?  It's kind of silly to move overseas if you work remotely isn't it?

That being said thank God the woman has anxiety.  Imagine how annoying her trying to be so cute would be if she didn't?

 

Edited February 4, 2021 by NYGirl

[Grizzly]

6 minutes ago, NYGirl said:

London tonight.  I LOVE Richard!  I only didn't turn it off because of him.

Did the husband say what his job was?  It's kind of silly to move overseas if you work remotely isn't it?

That being said thank God the woman has anxiety.  Imagine how annoying her trying to be so cute would be if she didn't?

 

They didn't say what Jon does for a living. But he is on my bad list for threatening to punch Richard! Can't believe living in NYC didn't set off Gina's anxieties. At least they came across as a real couple. I would really love to have Richard as a friend.

[Grrarrggh]

What a stupid couple in London. Since he didn't need to commute to work (though why in the hell does someone move to another country for work and then work remotely??!) they could have lived in a different area and gotten a lot for their money. 

[buttersister]

It was only the love of Richard that kept me watching this one. Well, that and I felt bad for the anxious wife, whose high-powered NYC marketing job no doubt gave her the high anxieties. Let's go shopping!

The insufferable "cheapskate" husband's big dream was to live in London, one of the world's most expensive cities? Right. He wanted that three bedroom/balconies place as much as she did. But I do have a query for Richard--WTF that guy jumping hard onto somebody else's bed?

[Chippings]

Sharing the irritation with the husband in London.  First, nobody gets to punch Richard, not on my watch !  Second it was really unclear why they needed to be in that very most expensive part (Marylebone, Kensington, seriously, people?) of the most expensive city.  I thought I heard some reference to proximity to work, then right after that I heard 'work remotely.'   

Husband seemed to have made it an element of his personality to be rude on a regular basis -- including flinging himself onto somebody else's bed.  

It seems too bad their format limits us to seeing three options, because I'd like to have seen what their $4,650 could have gotten them just a couple of tube stops further north or west.  (Well, when they want me to direct an episode, I'm sure they will come and ask.)

[Dehumidifier]

The woman in the London episode described how she had pursued him relentlessly. As the episode went on I figured his earning power must have been the attraction. That dive onto the bed -- there are no words! 

[Grizzly]

2 hours ago, Dehumidifier said:

 That dive onto the bed -- there are no words! 

And yet I think that realtor in Thailand who insisted the client get in the hot tub with her would approve.

[doodlebug]

15 hours ago, Grrarrggh said:

What a stupid couple in London. Since he didn't need to commute to work (though why in the hell does someone move to another country for work and then work remotely??!) they could have lived in a different area and gotten a lot for their money. 

It made no sense at all.  He obviously has quite a nice income to afford $4000+ a month for an apartment, but, since he claimed they wanted to travel; why not get a place a little further out and put the remainder towards other trips?   The public transport system in London is superb; if she insists on shopping only in the high end places in Kensington; she can easily get an Oyster card and hop the train or a bus and be there in short order.  

I also don't understand the point of relocating to London in order to work remotely.  I presume there must be some sort of office in London to which he will have to report on occasion; otherwise, what was the point?

Always a pleasure to see Richard, though.

Edited February 4, 2021 by doodlebug

[TVForever]

On 2/3/2021 at 10:14 AM, snarts said:

My DVR picked up one of those where are they now episodes as new last night.  Single middle aged redhead from California who moved to Merida, Mexico and bought the large rundown property an hour outside of town. Her budget was $50k.  She originally intended to renovate and rent out rooms.

She's now a local artist, selling paintings & painting murals. Jane Wiedlin from the Go-Gos even made an appearance. She's a former client, now friend.  The still has the original property and also purchased a place in town that acts as a gallery & crashpad. She also adopted another dog and two cats.  Seems extremely happy.

I enjoy the where are they now episodes, especially when the HH originally purchased a dump with the intent to renovate. 

I LOVE the Where Are They Now episodes. I wish the producers would make an actual spinoff series, instead of the occasional episode here and there. HHI has been running for 15 years (!) There are more than enough former HHs out there, as long as they're willing.

[ArtFossil]

London: Richard! Fabulous!

What on earth does the guy do who "works remotely" but only needs a couch or the kitchen table?  Day trading? Online gambling? Something worse? He just gives me the creeps. 😧 

I'm trying to feel compassion for his wife and her anxiety issues but it's hard when her only source of comfort/solace is "the perfect apartment" and shopping, shopping, shopping."

[Grizzly]

Stockholm. How old is this brat? She can live in the city when she has her own job and supports herself. Mom is paying, mom decides where they live. Grandparents must have spoiled them.

[Cetacean]

11 minutes ago, Grizzly said:

She can live in the city when she has her own job and supports herself.

Preach.  She was unbelievable.  I certainly hope that was for dramatic effect.

[Kiddvideo]

10 minutes ago, Grizzly said:

Stockholm. How old is this brat? She can live in the city when she has her own job and supports herself. Mom is paying, mom decides where they live. Grandparents must have spoiled them.

Oh my god. She might be the worst child ever. I was thinking the best thing for her would be to stay in India, and then she got the single bedroom?!? Oh fuck no. Mom needed to rein that bitch in hard. Loved the real estate agent not holding back. Grow up and think about other people’s needs, indeed.

[buttersister]

Ha, spoiled girl got her own room, alright. Mom had zero desire to share with that daughter. I thought her sister did a nice job of pushing the "I'll be your only friend" button. They have her number, likely hoping she'll outgrow this ME phase. She'll need some help doing that, though. Good luck, Mom!

[doodlebug]

11 hours ago, buttersister said:

Ha, spoiled girl got her own room, alright. Mom had zero desire to share with that daughter. I thought her sister did a nice job of pushing the "I'll be your only friend" button. They have her number, likely hoping she'll outgrow this ME phase. She'll need some help doing that, though. Good luck, Mom!

I was downright shocked at the end when it turned out they took the place out in the 'burbs, I didn't think Mama had that much backbone; then, I saw that MonsterDaughter got the single room while mom and nice daughter were sharing a bed.  Her obvious glee in having gotten the best of the bedroom arrangements was awful.  

The divorce rate in India is very small; mom must have had quite a bit of courage to buck the norms and end her unhappy marriage.  I guess she used up all her courage doing that and deciding to move to another continent.  I think she should've dropped the bad seed off at Daddy's place on her way out the door and let him deal with her.

[aghst]

Not familiar with the Indian city they showed.  Must be pretty big and cosmopolitan.  They all spoke English pretty well.

She was annoying.  But at least we didn't get the usual couples pretending to like modern vs. traditional charm.

This time it was city vs. burbs with the girl playing the role of the spouse who wants to be near cafes and people vs. peace, quiet and trees.

She also complained about being able to see into the neighbors' yards and them being able to look back in.

But the complaint about too much light was a new one.

HHI needs to get more script templates.

On 2/3/2021 at 7:14 AM, snarts said:

My DVR picked up one of those where are they now episodes as new last night.  Single middle aged redhead from California who moved to Merida, Mexico and bought the large rundown property an hour outside of town. Her budget was $50k.  She originally intended to renovate and rent out rooms.

She's now a local artist, selling paintings & painting murals. Jane Wiedlin from the Go-Gos even made an appearance. She's a former client, now friend.  The still has the original property and also purchased a place in town that acts as a gallery & crashpad. She also adopted another dog and two cats.  Seems extremely happy.

I enjoy the where are they now episodes, especially when the HH originally purchased a dump with the intent to renovate. 

Dang my Tivo didn't pick them up.  For some reason they didn't code them as new.

Yeah they really should spin off under a separate name.

[Kenzie]

On 2/3/2021 at 10:36 AM, SmithW6079 said:

I haven't watched this show in a long time. To be honest, the thought of seeing people interact without masks and in close quarters makes me anxious, so I've avoided it.

I'm the opposite. I avoid any program or even commercials with masks as it makes me both angry and sad. I seek out older programs and movies that are mask free as I find it much more relaxing.

[aghst]

23 hours ago, doodlebug said:

It made no sense at all.  He obviously has quite a nice income to afford $4000+ a month for an apartment, but, since he claimed they wanted to travel; why not get a place a little further out and put the remainder towards other trips?   The public transport system in London is superb; if she insists on shopping only in the high end places in Kensington; she can easily get an Oyster card and hop the train or a bus and be there in short order.  

I also don't understand the point of relocating to London in order to work remotely.  I presume there must be some sort of office in London to which he will have to report on occasion; otherwise, what was the point?

Always a pleasure to see Richard, though.

It sounded like he had to convince her to move to Europe.  He's the one used to traveling and must have wanted it more than her and she had to give up her job?

So London makes sense for language and being a very good hub for traveling to Europe.  Maybe he became accustomed to living in the post places.

Whenever I visit London, I try to stay in a popular area with a lot of good restaurants and bars around.  That meant taking an hour ride on the Underground away from the airport, even for a 1-night layover.  There's shopping in several places but I guess she wouldn't be happy with up and coming areas in East or North London.

London is great but you can find so much better weather in Europe itself.  But they were from New York?  So maybe they prioritize things like high end shopping and dining, though you can find that in most big European cities, where they could also get by speaking English.

[amarante]

1 hour ago, aghst said:

It sounded like he had to convince her to move to Europe.  He's the one used to traveling and must have wanted it more than her and she had to give up her job?

So London makes sense for language and being a very good hub for traveling to Europe.  Maybe he became accustomed to living in the post places.

Whenever I visit London, I try to stay in a popular area with a lot of good restaurants and bars around.  That meant taking an hour ride on the Underground away from the airport, even for a 1-night layover.  There's shopping in several places but I guess she wouldn't be happy with up and coming areas in East or North London.

London is great but you can find so much better weather in Europe itself.  But they were from New York?  So maybe they prioritize things like high end shopping and dining, though you can find that in most big European cities, where they could also get by speaking English.

I agree that London made sense since her anxiety would have been impossible in a country where she couldn't read street signs.

I would also choose to live in the center of a city versus out in the suburbs. There really is no comparison between walking out your door and being surrounded by city life and having to take mass transportation to get there. Since they could afford it - why not? And she was pretty accepting of less than "American" type of apartments since the flat they ultimately chose wasn't super plush. But I assume that they were realistic since they have lived in NY and knew what you could get in an expensive city unlike some of the clowns who move from Podunk and are *shocked* that housing in Europe is expensive and generally smaller than in the boonies where they came from.

Edited February 5, 2021 by amarante

[Grrarrggh]

1 hour ago, amarante said:

I would also choose to live in the center of a city versus out in the suburbs. There really is no comparison between walking out your door and being surrounded by city life and having to take mass transportation to get there. Since they could afford it - why not? And she was pretty accepting of less than "American" type of apartments since the flat they ultimately chose wasn't super plush. But I assume that they were realistic since they have lived in NY and knew what you could get in an expensive city unlike some of the clowns who move from Podunk and are *shocked* that housing in Europe is expensive and generally smaller than in the boonies where they came from.

But there is a lot more to London than the tiny area they were so obsessed with living in. Just a 5-10 minute tube ride away and they could have had a much bigger, more luxurious house and still be surrounded by shops, restaurants, nightclubs etc just outside their door. 

[MartyQui]

India to Sweden:  the daughter was 17 (she mentioned that at one point).  Guessing that the sister was 15?  The older sister was a spoiled brat, I’m gonna guess that Grammy and Grandpa spoiled her rotten.  There was no mention of school, which was weird, although the mother works in an international school (Google is my best friend).  Weird at the end when the mother told brat that she (brat) didn’t need a man...

[NYGirl]

I thought I heard the mother say to her at one point when she wanted to walk to stores and cafes that she could do it after school in the city.

[LittleIggy]

On 2/4/2021 at 10:21 PM, Grizzly said:

Stockholm. How old is this brat? She can live in the city when she has her own job and supports herself. Mom is paying, mom decides where they live. Grandparents must have spoiled them.

Thank you! I was ready to slap the one with glasses back to India. Mom pays the rent so mom decides. Period.

[doodlebug]

On 2/5/2021 at 6:14 PM, Grrarrggh said:

But there is a lot more to London than the tiny area they were so obsessed with living in. Just a 5-10 minute tube ride away and they could have had a much bigger, more luxurious house and still be surrounded by shops, restaurants, nightclubs etc just outside their door. 

That's exactly it!  London is a huge city, made up of multiple villages, really.  There are literally dozens of different residential neighborhoods all within the city limits where they could live and still have access to all sorts of shopping, restaurants and night life and get a lot more for their money.  Kensington is near the top of the heap costwise, while not really offering anything other than high prices when compared to other areas.

[StatisticalOutlier]

On 2/5/2021 at 2:14 PM, amarante said:

I would also choose to live in the center of a city versus out in the suburbs. There really is no comparison between walking out your door and being surrounded by city life and having to take mass transportation to get there.

Absolutely. 

When I go to NYC now, I have to stay in Jersey City instead of Manhattan.  It's walking distance to the PATH train, and then only like 10 minutes into Manhattan, so seemingly not a big deal.  But it's a lot different from just coming out a door and being in the middle of things.

And even within a city--if someone likes the vibe in the East Village in NYC, for example, then I would advise them to do what they can to live there.  Other areas will offer shopping and restaurants out the door, maybe even better shopping and restaurants by some standards, but they won't be East Village shopping and restaurants.

 

On 2/4/2021 at 1:36 PM, doodlebug said:

I also don't understand the point of relocating to London in order to work remotely.  I presume there must be some sort of office in London to which he will have to report on occasion; otherwise, what was the point?

Being able to work remotely is a great way to move somewhere you want to live just because you want to try it out.  Otherwise, you'd have to have a job in that place, preferably lined up in advance, which was a big hurdle. 

[aghst]

But we've seen in other London episodes that anywhere within a 1 hour train commute of London is still pretty expensive.

That is if you don't have to change trains somewhere.

[Grrarrggh]

20 minutes ago, aghst said:

But we've seen in other London episodes that anywhere within a 1 hour train commute of London is still pretty expensive.

That is if you don't have to change trains somewhere.

Who's talking about an hour long commute? They could have been a five minute tube ride from Kensington and gotten another 500-1000 square feet AND still have tonnes of fabulous restaurants, shops, museums etc right outside their door. 

[doodlebug]

1 hour ago, aghst said:

But we've seen in other London episodes that anywhere within a 1 hour train commute of London is still pretty expensive.

That is if you don't have to change trains somewhere.

You're right, housing in the London area is quite expensive, but this couple was willing to spend over $4000/month for an apartment.  Even in London, that is a decent amount for a 2 bedroom place which was what they wanted.  There are neighborhoods, within walking distance of Kensingtom where they could've gotten a lot more for their money.  Still in the city itself, still close to Kensington and still upper middle class areas.

[40Love]

On 2/5/2021 at 6:58 PM, MartyQui said:

India to Sweden: Weird at the end when the mother told brat that she (brat) didn’t need a man...

I took that remark to be more inspirational for them all. Almost like she was reassuring the girls... and herself... that they could succeed there and be happy without help from a man. 

[40Love]

On 2/6/2021 at 1:08 AM, LittleIggy said:

Thank you! I was ready to slap the one with glasses back to India. Mom pays the rent so mom decides. Period.

Right??!! I  was prepared to reach through the screen if mom had actually picked that one room bedroom apt. in the city. 

[aghst]

Crete was cool.

Where they met near the Lighthouse was in the Chania harbor, which they really didn't feature.  Very scenic area.

But none of the homes were near the big town, instead they were kind of isolated, away from towns, restaurants and cafes.

Where would the 6-year old go to school or the husband go to work?

 

[Cetacean]

I don't get it with the Crete couple.  They freaked out about the house with the pool because "the neighbors can see us".  But they end up with an apartment on the third floor which means neighbors on the two floors beneath them.  The don't think that those people won't see the kids playing in the yard?

[javajeanelaine]

Crete episode: You have children and you want a beach shack??

[Amethyst]

Rerun of the LA couple moving to Ecuador.  Probably would have picked up the first place and dropped it in the city if they could.  Wasn’t surprised that they went with house 2, it was more resort-y.  

What really got me was that quick shot of them making out in the end.  I barely see HH couples do a quick peck on the cheek, let alone straight up mouth to mouth.  It was nice!  They should let them show affection more often.

[Grizzly]

12 hours ago, Amethyst said:

Rerun of the LA couple moving to Ecuador.  Probably would have picked up the first place and dropped it in the city if they could.  Wasn’t surprised that they went with house 2, it was more resort-y.  

What really got me was that quick shot of them making out in the end.  I barely see HH couples do a quick peck on the cheek, let alone straight up mouth to mouth.  It was nice!  They should let them show affection more often.

I had the urge to look away to give them privacy.

[40Love]

18 hours ago, Amethyst said:

Rerun of the LA couple moving to Ecuador.  Probably would have picked up the first place and dropped it in the city if they could.  Wasn’t surprised that they went with house 2, it was more resort-y.  

What really got me was that quick shot of them making out in the end.  I barely see HH couples do a quick peck on the cheek, let alone straight up mouth to mouth.  It was nice!  They should let them show affection more often.

They seem like such a nice couple... no bickering... no snarkiness... no unreasonable demands. Just a nice couple, still in love and enjoying life.

[snarts]

New Zealand. I missed the actual city they were in but I was shocked by how inexpensive it was. I seem to recall previous episodes set in/near Auckland where the housing market was much more pricey.  They looked a 3-4 bedroom houses, two of which were quite modern, ranging from $1200-1600/mo.  Sign me up. The country is so beautiful.

[Cetacean]

57 minutes ago, snarts said:

New Zealand. I missed the actual city they were in but I was shocked by how inexpensive it was.

Whitianga is pretty far out in the sticks which could account for the prices.  It's more than an hour to a big city from there.  Think rural.

[laredhead]

I wonder if the New Zealand couple is still there?  Thinking they might have gotten caught in the COVID shut down on travel. It was evidently a temporary move since they did not say they sold their main house in Indiana, but had sold their 2nd house on a lake along with 2 boats to help finance the move.  New Zealand is a beautiful place.  

I thought the 3rd house was the perfect fit for them and it was only $100 over the $1500/mo they state was their max. 

[aghst]

5 hours ago, laredhead said:

I wonder if the New Zealand couple is still there?  Thinking they might have gotten caught in the COVID shut down on travel. It was evidently a temporary move since they did not say they sold their main house in Indiana, but had sold their 2nd house on a lake along with 2 boats to help finance the move.  New Zealand is a beautiful place.  

I thought the 3rd house was the perfect fit for them and it was only $100 over the $1500/mo they state was their max. 

The husband was grinning a bit when he talked about saving money, so he may not have been that serious.

The wife said with the salary cut, it didn't make financial sense for them to take a gap year there.

Only makes sense if they travel from there, not only to rest of NZ, which is really worth doing, but also Australia and SE Asia.

But they didn't mention saving money on rent to fund travel expenses.

Other than the setting, their everyday life in a small NZ town is probably not that different from living in a small town in IN, though I don't know if that was the case or they were near Indianapolis.

If she has to work full time and the kids go to school, they're not going to be taking a lot of 3 or 4-day weekend trips so it would have to be in the summer that they take longer trips.

Yeah I would have taken the 3rd property, $1600 for a modern 4-bedroom home?  That has to be less than mortgage back home, though if they're already paying the mortgage, they may not want to spend too much on rent.  But it was only $100 more than the budget they originally had set.