House Hunters International - General Discussion

[cinsays]

7 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

Sonny & Julia Hughey.  He's American, she's French and they're moving to France.   As Adrienne says, Sonny has a dream of what France should be, transition will be easy for Julia.  His job from France is remote, she has a job in Montpellier, France with medical devices.  He certainly enjoys the Boulangerie (they bought two bags full).   Wish list, 2 bed 2 bath, decent kitchen, they want near the city center, but not right downtown, parking is a must, he want to be close to a bakery, and historic or vintage.   $1.070 is the budget.   For parking Adriane says downtown won't work.  

Apartment 1-2 bed 2 bath, contemporary, fantastic, award winning building "The Tree", $1700 a month, no bakery. 2nd floor with elevator.  the kitchen is huge, fantastic architecture for the building, with a terrace.  Main bedroom has another terrace.   

Apartment 2-with a Boulangerie close by.   Parking in building, not historic, bakeries close by, 2 bed 2 bath, and parking, $1300 a month, 4th floor, kitchen is good size, applians included, breakfast bar, terrace, I guess he doesn't realize with the time difference that he won't be working from home during rush house.   Nice bathrooms, nice closets, nice bedrooms. 

Apartment 3- A beach townhouse, close to a bakery, closer to the beach. A bakery on the corner, street parking only, 1 bed 1 bath, $1200 a month, kitchen is decent, with a stand alone breakfast bar, the living room is upstairs, with a dining area, another tiny kitchen with a bigger fridge, Adrian says use the upstairs kitchen, and turn the down stairs kitchen into a guest room.   

I don't like #3.    I would pick 2.   They pick #2

i didn't like any of their options, but i guess #2 was the best for them.

is that white tree building viewed as a beautiful building? i thought the structure was pretty ugly.

the couple in Australia, the gal with the online shopping addiction and the native, who have never lived together buying that large place

when they split up in a year, hope they can recoup what they spent on the place

[proserpina65]

16 hours ago, deirdra said:

His French wife should tell him that they don't use preservatives in baked goods so you don't buy two bags full at a time. Everything will turn rock hard in 12-48 hrs.  You walk to the boulangerie every day or at worst every other day to get fresh bread. 

That way you work off the carbs, too.  Although I could probably eat most of two bags of French bread in 48 hours by myself.

[deirdra]

1 hour ago, proserpina65 said:

That way you work off the carbs, too.  Although I could probably eat most of two bags of French bread in 48 hours by myself.

That's why it is best to walk there and buy only one day's worth at a time! Most French towns and cities I've been in have boulangeries that are open at 6 am so you can walk down and buy fresh bread or croissants for breakfast. Though after the novelty wears off, if you have leftover bread from the day before you can dunk it in your bowl of coffee. 

Edited July 29, 2022 by deirdra

[aghst]

Once stayed a few weeks in Paris and learned when a nearby boulangerie put out fresh baguettes, once at opening early in the morning and almost around noon.

Was warm if you bought it at those times.

I heard actually that they've streamlined it so instead of baking from scratch, the dough is delivered to several bakeries.  Obvious in the case of chains like Paul.

Awhile back, the only kind of sandwiches common in Paris were just butter and ham in a baguette -- takeaway foods hadn't really taken off there yet.  Didn't like that at all, wanted tomatoes and lettuce.  So you had to seek out sandwiches with crudité.  Now paninis are common and you have way more variety than there used to be.

You often savor meals or foods you had when you were hangry.  One of those occasions for me was looking for a quick bite while visiting castles in the Loire.  Don't remember where but one place made the sandwich to order that time, had the smoothest mayo.  Nowadays, bakeries will have a number of sandwiches and salads made the night before and they usually run out at lunch time.

[CrazyInAlabama]

Couple moving to Cabo San Lucas from Dallas, with a $2 million plus budget, want 5 bed, 5 bath, single family,near the beach on the Pacific side.   Open concept,  Empty Nesters, her budget is $2 million, his is $2 million plus for turnkey. 

House 1-Single Family, $2.3 million, Villa Pitaya , 5 bed, 5 bath,  with an  infinity edge pool and jacuzzi.  main bedroom, and bathroom is a wet room with stand alone tub, and giant shower. another bedrrom is a second main suite, putting green. 

House 2-Casa Tres Vistas, traditional, Single Family, $1.6 million, open concept , 4 bed, 4 bath, 4,000 sq. ft. has mountain views, and ocean views.  an outdoor kitchen. main bedroom is huge, the en suite tub is hideous, also a jacuzzi, and a pool.   WIfe still wants 5 bedroom and 5 bath, and he would have to redo the en suite, and add sliding doors between the kitchen nook and the terrace. 

House 3-Casa Dorado, 1 minute walk to the beach, and you can hear the waves, fantastic big pool and Jacuzzi,  Single Family, $2.25 million , 5 bed,5  bath, sq. ft. newly renovated, floors are all marble, kitchen and island are huge.  Two main bedroom suites, first main suite is fantastic, and so is the second suite.   They don't like the view as much as the other two houses.   

They pick #1

Edited July 30, 2022 by CrazyInAlabama

[aghst]

I think the CSL one was an old one, maybe about year old?

[CrazyInAlabama]

I bet it was a Mexico Life, or Beachfront show, retitled to HHI. 

Edited July 30, 2022 by CrazyInAlabama

[kirklandia]

I love modern architecture, thought L'Abre Blanc in Montpelier was fab!

https://www.archdaily.com/918762/larbre-blanc-residential-tower-sou-fujimoto-architects-plus-nicolas-laisne-plus-oxo-architects-plus-dimitri-roussel

[Grrarrggh]

On 7/29/2022 at 6:40 AM, cinsays said:

is that white tree building viewed as a beautiful building? i thought the structure was pretty ugly.

Really? I thought it looked fantastic. More like a building of high dives than a tree though. 

[aghst]

7 hours ago, kirklandia said:

I love modern architecture, thought L'Abre Blanc in Montpelier was fab!

https://www.archdaily.com/918762/larbre-blanc-residential-tower-sou-fujimoto-architects-plus-nicolas-laisne-plus-oxo-architects-plus-dimitri-roussel

19 minutes ago, Grrarrggh said:

Really? I thought it looked fantastic. More like a building of high dives than a tree though. 

I can see where to give each apartment all that terrace space, making the terraces jut out like that probably maximizes terrace size without having as much volume as traditional boxy structures.

Modern architecture like modern art is going to be polarizing to many people.

But the locale it was in, too bad the view wasn't better.  Imagine if it was near a body of water or in a mountain valley.  You'd have more apartments with terraces with good views, not as many "partial ocean views."

[QQQQ]

The Debbie Downer Berlin to Stockholm single mom of two really can't catch a break. My on demand has hidden her episode under the title/description "Budget Battle in Palm Springs: West Hollywood buyers are looking for a weekend retreat in Palm Spring, CA." 

[proserpina65]

On 7/30/2022 at 8:24 PM, Grrarrggh said:

Really? I thought it looked fantastic. More like a building of high dives than a tree though. 

I thought it looked like a hideous carbuncle.  (I hate modern architecture.)

[buttersister]

LOL, the difference between an American guy in France and a native-born French guy in Paris (owner of the hotel we stayed at multiple times). Instead of two bags full, our hotel hero hit the neighborhood boulangerie twice every morning. He wanted to ensure that every guest ordering breakfast had fresh bread and croissants whether they ate at 7 or 9:30! (Three-hour-old bread was unacceptable to serve, iho!)

[CrazyInAlabama]

On 7/31/2022 at 6:07 AM, QQQQ said:

The Debbie Downer Berlin to Stockholm single mom of two really can't catch a break. My on demand has hidden her episode under the title/description "Budget Battle in Palm Springs: West Hollywood buyers are looking for a weekend retreat in Palm Spring, CA." 

They've had the Palm Springs episode title at least twice when they were actually HHI episodes.  

[aghst]

South Africa to the Sunshine Coast, Australia.

$900k budget, wife wanted 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, wanted to be close to town and beach.

Husband wanted bush acreage.

First house is in Noosa Heads, a popular tourist area near the coast, very modern, room enough for the three of them but not a lot of land.

Second house is in the hinterlands, quite a distance inland.  But the home is massive and modern and there are two acres of land.

Third home is only two bedrooms and one bath, in need of renovation and more interior space but it comes with 10 acres.

They choose #3 because the daughter goes on about acreage.  It was $850k so cheapest but not really by that much.

Husband was talking harvesting 20 or 40 kilos of some kind of peppers.  Daughter is feeding ducks, as they show them enjoying all the land they have.

He seems to be around 50 and he’s supposedly going to work, they’re not retired.  Even 2 acres of land would be a lot to tend to along with full time job.  The second property had a huge lawn so it would be a lot of work to keep it pretty.

I’ve been planning a trip to Australia which includes Queensland and the Sunshine Coast. Will be staying in Noosa but I didn’t see much about the hinterlands and the bush that looked as beautiful as the coastal areas.

Didn’t see mountains or interesting rock formations like you see in other parts of Australia.  So I can’t understand them wanting bush acreage so much.  Maybe that’s what they’re used to back in South Africa.  But the bush is probably where the deadly snakes and spiders that Australia is famous for are, away from developed cities and towns along the coast.

[mojito]

South Africa to Brisbane

Nice family, understandable desires, nice agent, good choices, good budget. I liked that they didn't make a fuss about choosing the smaller home and chose the home that suited their wants the most. 

I'm paranoid about bodies of water that aren't a swimming pool or the ocean; I couldn't help wondering what kind of critters might be in that pond the daughter was gleefully frolicking in. 

[TVForever]

27 minutes ago, mojito said:

South Africa to Brisbane. 

I'm paranoid about bodies of water that aren't a swimming pool or the ocean; I couldn't help wondering what kind of critters might be in that pond the daughter was gleefully frolicking in. 

Especially in Australia, home of the deadliest of everything on the planet!!

[aghst]

Not only that, mosquitoes.

Other than growing veggies, they must leave most of the land alone, let it grow wild?

I just watched a United Shades of America episode on CA wildfires and they were going out there burning the undergrowth and clearing a lot of the vegetation around their mountain homes, to reduce the likelihood of their homes being burned down in wildfires. 

Maybe they don't have drought conditions in Queensland but how do those homes in the middle of the bush fare if there are wildfires which Australia experienced right before the pandemic?

[mojito]

1 hour ago, aghst said:

Maybe they don't have drought conditions in Queensland but how do those homes in the middle of the bush fare if there are wildfires which Australia experienced right before the pandemic?

I have a feeling that fire was the reason that the real estate had, at one time, mentioned the availability of water at one of the homes.

[CrazyInAlabama]

South Africa to Brisbane.  How does a 'farmer living off the land' afford a just under $900k house?  and his wife is a medical clown (they entertain kids in hospitals), so I don't see this as realistic.     I also question what's living in the ponds on ther properties.    So House #1.  I find it hysterical that the wife thinks House #1 is too big, with $900k on the line what size house does she think she'll get it.  

So they buy #3 that needs renovation.   Has anyone explained the dangers of swimming in ponds there?   

[aghst]

They said he had an accounting business in South Africa, made some good money, which is why they decided to move.

He had a relative there giving him a job as well.

But again, I don't know how much time he has to farm some veggies or take care of such a large piece of land.

[QQQQ]

2 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

How does a 'farmer living off the land' afford a just under $900k house?  and his wife is a medical clown (they entertain kids in hospitals)

I haven't seen the episode, so I'm glad you clarified because my mind immediately went to Rob Corddry in Children's Hospital!

[Grizzly]

Mexico City. The guys are hot. #1 was a bit too concretey for me. I do want Lucas to get his outside space. Some netting would fix the balcony problem. Hope they pick #3.

[CrazyInAlabama]

How do two men live together who don't agree on anything?   Including one has a cat, and the other is allergic?   So, moving to Mexico, never been there before, and never lived together before?   Budget is $1800, fully furnished.  I bet the cat in the stroller is going to be amazing to a lot of people. 

Apartment 1-Mercado El 100, modern inside, historic outside, 2 bed 2 bath, $1600 a month fully furnished.   That's a lot of concrete, it does look like a prison cell for the second bedroom.  No outdoor space.    The bathrooms are great.   The rest of the spaces are stark.

Apartment 2-La Condesa, built in the 50's, 2 bedrooms, plus a studio, only one bath. mid-century modern, furnished, the one hunter is right, furniture looks like metal patio furniture, kitchen is small.   nice balcony, but no way to keep Lucas in.  1 bedroom is nice, second bedroom is furnished as a TV room.   1 blue tiled bathroom.   I think the rent is $1500.   

Apartment 3-Industrial, , 3 bed 2.5 bath with a balcony. $1900 a month, fully furnished.  It's modern, lots of interior brick walls, balcony is great but needs netting to keep Lucas the cat safe, great kitchen, open concept, guest bedroom has a full en suite, walkin closet, I bet Lucas will like the steel beams in the apartment main bedroom en sutie is great, another room for an office. 

I would have picked #3.   #1 was so stark.

They picked #3.  And the one man will go back to the U.S. and work sometimes.  

I wonder if the partner will find a travel medical job which pays really well, and includes housing (usually), and just not come back to Mexico. 

Fixed my boo-boo, cat owner went back to SF, or to work.     I still think that living together didn't work out.   So, I hope they had  a month-to-month lease, or it was a few months rental.  I wonder if the other man stayed in Mexico? 

Edited August 5, 2022 by CrazyInAlabama

[aghst]

#3 in Mexico City was the best choice.  I bet the budget concerns weren’t that 

big a deal.  They were probably paying way more in San Fran.

The nurse may have kept his place in SF so he could go back to work.

No way they were ever serious about #2 with the tiny kitchen and that bathroom.

They may not last as a couple, unless the one guy’s allergies aren’t too bad.

[proserpina65]

On 8/3/2022 at 3:23 PM, CrazyInAlabama said:

 I also question what's living in the ponds on ther properties. 

I saw that kid swinging on the rope over the pond and thought "and then the big saltie leapt up, snapped her right off the rope and took her under for a death roll".

[buttersister]

14 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

I wonder if the partner will find a travel medical job which pays really well, and includes housing (usually), and just not come back to Mexico. 

Right? I mean, it seemed like they were in a relationship, but not the living-together kind. The balcony cinched #3, far as I could tell. And the netting means he and the cat will be very happy together. 

[Grrarrggh]

14 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

I bet the second the door closed on the man who went back to the U.S., that Lucas the cat got to run through the main bedroom and try out those beams.   

The guy who goes back to the US was the owner of the cat. The allergic one was staying behind. 

[aghst]

They said it was their first time living together.

Also they met before the pandemic and then with the lockdowns, they apparently didn't see each other for awhile.

Oh and another detail I forgot, I think the older guy said he got the idea of moving to MC because he followed acquaintances on social media who raved about MC and he saw posts of them getting coffee and other daily activities in MC.

Guess they both had solid job situations, the nurse guy could work whenever he wanted and was in high demand and the other guy was director of finance for a tech startup and got to work remotely.

Unless they had to sign a lease, they could probably try it for a couple of months and see if they want to stay there indefinitely.

They might have kept their places back in SF, because their friends were probably back there.

[CrazyInAlabama]

20 minutes ago, Grrarrggh said:

The guy who goes back to the US was the owner of the cat. The allergic one was staying behind. 

Thanks I fixed my posting.   

[aghst]

Houston to Madrid.

Young couple moving so she could do an MBA program there.  I didn't catch what he does or would be doing in Madrid.  But he wanted a second bedroom for an office.

They see a place costing $1300, $1600 and $1800.  Budget is $1500, which he wants to stick to so that they could travel in Europe.

She wants a nice place near the center and with a balcony.

First place the cheapest is too basic for her.

Second place isn't nice enough for her as it has a bathroom right next to the kitchen without a door.

Third place the agent offers them a big upgrade, a place with a balcony overlooking a beautiful square and a huge kitchen -- he likes to cook and just bigger space all around.

David the agent, who's been in the Spanish episodes before, snarks that the wife wants a lot for $1500.

Wife rules out the $1300 apt, wants #3, the baller place with the highest rent, says it's not that much more and they might as well enjoy their limited time there.  I don't know how well an MBA in Europe translates to the US but it sounds like they would return after she completed her program.

The husband says it's too expensive and it would be a shorter commute because #2 is right by her school.

So she uses the usual HHI trope of giving the spouse in tow the choice -- you sacrificed a lot coming with me so we will do it your way.

She says at one point that he's idealistic and never made much money, because he thinks educating the kids is a calling for him.  He's also working on a novel.

That may be one of the reasons she's looking for an MBA, to bring more money in.  She said she applied to several programs including it sounds like back in the US.

But they wanted to have this adventure and she did express gratitude or relief that he agreed to come with her.

Do many marriages end because one spouse has a career or academic opportunity overseas and the other spouse doesn't want to go along?  Maybe it would be like the last straw thing but it doesn't seem like people would leave their marriages over it.

[Grrarrggh]

3 hours ago, aghst said:

Do many marriages end because one spouse has a career or academic opportunity overseas and the other spouse doesn't want to go along?  Maybe it would be like the last straw thing but it doesn't seem like people would leave their marriages over it.

I'm thinking many marriages don't but that many women don't advance their careers or take opportunities that they should because of their husbands.

[MartyQui]

I don’t think they were married…and he owned a house and she said she gave up her “place”, so I don’t think they even lived together.  On a shallow note, he was so handsome!

[BAForever]

6 minutes ago, MartyQui said:

I don’t think they were married…and he owned a house and she said she gave up her “place”, so I don’t think they even lived together.  On a shallow note, he was so handsome!

Houston to Spain

He was good looking. Curious as to his age. Where I teach, you don't see a principal under 35. First you teach at least 5 years, then assistant principal then principal. Maybe he was at a small or private school. She bugged.

[TVForever]

50 minutes ago, BAForever said:

Houston to Spain

He was good looking. Curious as to his age. Where I teach, you don't see a principal under 35. First you teach at least 5 years, then assistant principal then principal. Maybe he was at a small or private school. She bugged.

I was stunned too when he said he was a school principal. He did seem awfully young for that!

[Crashcourse]

2 hours ago, MartyQui said:

On a shallow note, he was so handsome!

He sure was! 

Also, I think the Spanish agent is a cutie.  Although he doesn't look like Kevin, he's cute like him.  

[Grizzly]

San Diego to Los Cabos. This is quite a pair. She went from zero to bitch pretty quickly. And then at the second place, he complained about her. The realtor seemed pretty exasperated.  Maybe this isn't the part of Mexico they should move to. I liked #2 the best. Wonder if there's an HOA? And why can't she hold the phone while he drives? So they're moving in with the cows.

[aghst]

I think San Diego wife was playing it up for the cameras.

Because when they decided, they quickly agreed on #3.

She didn't dispute the price and that she would want to remodel/renovate that expensive place.

Again it's not clear if this is a permanent home or a vacation home.

If they had good paying jobs for a long time and owned a home in San Diego for a long time, they could definitely afford more than $300k for a primary home after selling their SD property.

OTOH, with two boys in college maybe they have to be cautious about their spending.

There was that one Cabo episode where the budget was a couple of million so there's a wide range of prices.

[mojito]

@aghst The husband stated that she liked to spend money, so who knows what their finances are. (And I'm thinking her surgical bills also set them back.)

I suspect that this was a financial move.

[chessiegal]

19 minutes ago, mojito said:

And I'm thinking her surgical bills also set them back.

My husband was so distracted by her plastic face he couldn't focus on anything else.😅

[MartyQui]

She's a VP at GSK, I don't think money is an issue.  But her face was SO distracting!  I don't understand why women go to that extreme.

[Thumper]

GSK = ???

[Grrarrggh]

25 minutes ago, Thumper said:

GSK = ???

Used to be  GlaxoSmithKline 

[deirdra]

2 hours ago, Thumper said:

GSK = ???

Glaxo Smith Kline? (Big Pharma)

[HappyHanna]

On 8/11/2022 at 8:48 AM, BAForever said:

He was good looking. Curious as to his age. Where I teach, you don't see a principal under 35. First you teach at least 5 years, then assistant principal then principal. Maybe he was at a small or private school. She bugged.

I looked them up after I watched.  He's some sort of leadership consultant  https://www.oscarreneromano.com/our-22-minutes-of-fame-on-house-hunters-international/ and she's now studying in Austrailia as a study abroad (from her international MBA program...) https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexispeltier?originalSubdomain=es

[aghst]

Portland to Cardiff - married teachers and a dog, moving so he can get a masters in jazz performance, which would help his career as a music teacher.

She is a history nerd, liked her stay in UK when she was a student.  She wants an apartment that looks like she's in Cardiff but not too insistent.

They want to be close to city center and his school.  He wants to stick to $1100 a month budget, which comes from their savings.  She wants 2 bedrooms to have her relatives visit them.

They get the cheapest property, $100 under budget, because it's closest to school and city center.  She said it was his preference but agreed with his arguments.

She sees staying in Wales as an adventure before they start a family back in Portland.  He wants to live in Portland while she's wanted to explore beyond.

Neither of them will work, even remotely.

[Crashcourse]

Portland to Cardiff couple were--thankfully--not annoying.  I think they picked the best place and they're probably having nice experiences before returning to Portland.

[mojito]

7 hours ago, Crashcourse said:

Portland to Cardiff couple were--thankfully--not annoying. 

They seemed to have a better attitude about what to accept in temporary living quarters, so they weren't very critical. 

I rolled my eyes a few times, though, like in the end, when she asked him to put on his headphones to play the keyboard because the dog was sleeping. My dog would either have to deal with the sound or buy himself some ear plugs if he couldn't get enough sleep in all the other available quiet hours in the house.

[South]

On 8/3/2022 at 10:21 AM, TVForever said:

Especially in Australia, home of the deadliest of everything on the planet!!

I’m afraid of three things…alligators, sharks and EVERY danged thing in Australia.  I regularly find myself rubbing elbows with the first two, but if I were to ever visit A, I’d go straight to a high rise and lock the door.  Of course arrangements could be made for their cute and furry representatives to pop in.

[South]

4 hours ago, mojito said:

They seemed to have a better attitude about what to accept in temporary living quarters, so they weren't very critical. 

I rolled my eyes a few times, though, like in the end, when she asked him to put on his headphones to play the keyboard because the dog was sleeping. My dog would either have to deal with the sound or buy himself some ear plugs if he couldn't get enough sleep in all the other available quiet hours in the house.

I only saw the final few minutes, but I wondered if the hound liked to howl along, thus disturbing their new neighbors.