House Hunters International - General Discussion

[ECM1231]

10 hours ago, mojito said:

WV Twins in Madrid

One of the twins seemed pretty enamored with the "antique" apartment. That one struck me as too phony. Can't imagine renting a place with all those cheesy-looking knick-knacks. That was one of the more atrocious European apartments I've seen on HHI. I wasn't impressed with any of the places, though the first one was the nicest but the connected bedrooms was far from ideal.

"Me and MacKayla" were in Madrid to teach English.

I've not been to Madrid in decades but I always enjoy the HHI episodes in Spain. Was kind of shocked that one could even find a 2 bedroom apartment for around $1100, and even under. Would a landlord even rent an apartment (#3) with all those tchotchkes in place? I guess the apartment they chose was the best for them; I just hope the construction noise isn't too unbearable.

Edited September 3, 2022 by ECM1231

[aghst]

That's a tough commute for the sisters in Madrid.

So they had to live in the northern part.

These English-teaching jobs, they seem not to have long term prospects at least if you want to make some money.

They got their degrees in something unrelated so maybe after a year or two, they go back to WV.

[Crashcourse]

I was thinking they'd be there for a year, more like a long-term vacation.  

[ECM1231]

8 minutes ago, Crashcourse said:

I was thinking they'd be there for a year, more like a long-term vacation.  

I'm sure you are correct, but wow, what a vacation that would be!

A friend from college headed to Madrid immediately after graduation. Being a Spanish major the only job she was really qualified for was teaching English in one of those Berlitz language schools. The pay was horrible, but she had her own apartment. When I visited her, she worked during the day while I explored the city. We'd meet up at night for tapas. Then head out to the clubs. So fun! I did have my wallet stolen, though. I believe it was when I was in one of their parks.

She lived there for quite some time, and had a Spanish beau. Eventually moved back home, and teaches Spanish to high school students. 

[Grrarrggh]

14 hours ago, ECM1231 said:

I've never been to Cabo but the landscape from episodes I have seen doesn't look pretty. They were raving about the view, but it just looked ugly to me. 🤷

I'm pretty sure they meant the view of the ocean beyond the sparse or building filled land view.

[Crashcourse]

1 hour ago, ECM1231 said:

I'm sure you are correct, but wow, what a vacation that would be!

Oh, no question! 😄

[HappyHanna]

On 9/3/2022 at 12:43 AM, aghst said:

These English-teaching jobs, they seem not to have long term prospects at least if you want to make some money.

Per linked in,  one sister is working for the Spanish ministry of education as a language assistant,  and one for North American Language and Culture Assistants Program (NALCAP) (also through the government of Spain) as a teaching assistant.  The NALCAP looks like a year long contract to work in a Spanish elementary or secondary school.  So not long term, but not Berlitz either.  If only I were 22 again,  this would be awesone!

[puppytoes]

The older Australian man and the annoying whiney girl from Hawaii.  This is what you can expect if you move to Australia.  https://www.pestxpert.com.au/huntsman-spiders-everything-you-need-to-know/
no thank you!

[Crashcourse]

Nope nope nope! 😱

[mojito]

India to Thailand

What a nice, cheerful family. They picked the least expensive home because it was near the son's school, and the son favored this home over the ones closer to the beach or with pools (I didn't see that coming). The wife, concerned with how hot the wet kitchen might be (I don't think she needed to be told the reason for the separate kitchen, that must've been scripted), ended up selecting it to keep the food aromas from permeating in the home. Hubby's wants took a backseat to his wife and son's. 

I liked seeing Asians relocating to another Asian locale. 

[Crashcourse]

I really liked the India to Thailand family.  I figured they'd take the one closest to the son's school, and with the wet kitchen.  I laughed at the kid at the end making fun of his dad's high five.  

[sempervivum]

India to Thailand family's wife/mom had a bunch of very, very cute sundresses.

I was curious about the large, 12 year old kid needing room for his 'toys'. 

[mojito]

2 hours ago, sempervivum said:

I was curious about the large, 12 year old kid needing room for his 'toys'. 

I doubt that he was talking about his jacks and board games. More like DJI drone, Insta 360 camera, Onewheel. Let's not forget all that he needs for his YouTube studio (lights, camera, microphone, etc.) The list goes on. 

[Crashcourse]

I thought the kid was joking when referring to his "toys," and didn't mean little kid toys.  

[Grrarrggh]

A lot of 12-year-olds, especially boys, are much closer in maturity to 8-10. So he probably does have toys. As well he should. Hell, I'm 41 and I've got "children's" toys. Society too often tries matures children beyond how they should act.  (okay, that sentence is a bit off, but I hope you get what I mean)

[aghst]

Indian couple were set up by their parents for arranged marriage but they didn’t get married?

Or did they?

They had different names.  He was Rangeet something and she was K-something Rangeet.

She was ribbing him a lot.

[mojito]

6 hours ago, aghst said:

Indian couple were set up by their parents for arranged marriage but they didn’t get married?

Or did they?

I think they were set up, but they had a choice. Looks like they chose wisely. The whole family seemed to enjoy laughing. 

[ECM1231]

Indian family to Thailand: I enjoyed this episode. Nice couple, cute kid. Wife was really pretty.

[StatisticalOutlier]

On 9/2/2022 at 5:30 PM, Grrarrggh said:

The Madrid real estate agent was annoying. He was complaining about one of the easiest pair searchers I've ever seen. 

I thought he was funny.  He was lamenting that they weren't students any more, because with students, you can just shove them in a dump and they're fine, I believe is how he put it.

[Chicken Fingers]

Do we believe the family sold everything in San Diego to move to Costa Rica? I'm tired of the ridiculous lies.

I got bored and didn't finish watching it after seeing the first two vacation condos, so I don't know what they picked. They kept saying that the older one was starting high school and they wanted to give the kids a grand international experience before they got too old. The father was Dutch. You'd have thought they'd go live in an EU country. There's nothing for teens to do in an isolated vacation condo development. 

[aghst]

Well the San Diego family was looking for a big home, with rooms for the daughters and proximity to their international schools.

They said they checked the school out first before making the decision to move.

They also elaborated on how they wanted to move when the older daughter was entering high school, so that they wouldn't pull her out of school if she was already there.

Sounded believable that they'd been thinking about moving overseas for awhile.  And they purchased a rather costly home, though they probably have a lot of money left over after selling their San Diego property.

Maybe one or both of them wanted to wind down from their jobs, though both will work remotely.  It sounded like he wasn't that enthusiastic about his job.

It's believable that they'd want to live overseas since the father was Dutch but why Costa Rica?  Probably relatively cheap and if they needed to go back, it was nearby.

Edited September 16, 2022 by aghst

[eel21788]

13 hours ago, Chicken Fingers said:

They kept saying that the older one was starting high school and they wanted to give the kids a grand international experience before they got too old. 

Yet, the plan was to put the kids into a private school for ex-pats. If I wanted my kids to experience the culture of living in a foreign country, the first thing I would do is put them in public school. Costa Rica has an excellent school system. 

[aghst]

If she doesn't speak Spanish, then it would hobble her, especially at her age.

If she was in elementary school, it would be different.

But the international school, presumably would prepare her to apply to university back in the US, which is what they want.

So it wouldn't be a permanent move for the daughters at least, give them an option to go back to US for college.

I suppose the family could also decide to go back to the US but it's probably tougher if they  buy instead of rent a home.

The international school wouldn't be as immersive as a local school and if they only socialize with other American expats, maybe this wouldn't be the greatest international experience.

Also an oceanside town with some of those properties which seem to be separated out from the local residential neighborhoods (seemed like it could be a gated community and it's doubtful a lot of Costa Ricans are buying homes which cost almost $1 million), may not be as immersive in the local culture.

So if they really wanted their daughters to get into the local culture, probably would have been better to be in a bigger city.

Maybe the parents just wanted to be near the coast, at a fraction of the price it would take back in the US.  Nice lifestyle, especially if they play tennis and go to the beach often.

[Pine]

I thought that it was odd that they were buying and not renting.  And Costa Rica doesn't seem that awe inspiring international, like a Euro home would be.  JMHO of course.  Did you see at the opening the houses on the cliff, where the 3rd house was.   I would be very worried buying down there just because of standards, and building on cliffs.  Just a fear I would have if they experience earthquakes.  

[aghst]

Buying would be a bigger commitment than renting.

Certainly selling their San Diego house indicates that they're really moving down there.

I don't know how easy it would be for them to sell the home and get at least all their money out.

Since the husband is European it is strange that they didn't choose Europe but the costs would certainly be higher, especially for a larger home.

Maybe they really wanted that beach lifestyle.  Can't recall if they got a pool.  If they're some distance away from the beach, maybe they don't go to the beach every day if they have a pool.

They were commenting on how many potholes there were in the road to their gated community.  That's better than some other Latin American places, where it was unpaved roads which got very muddy in the rain season.

If it's about weather and proximity to beach, I'm not sure how different it is than staying in San Diego.  Certainly cheaper, they could have sold their SD home for millions and have millions in the bank even after buying a $900k home.

[chessiegal]

I knew a woman who owned a second home in Costa Rica. She and her husband went there each year for many months at a time for the weather.

[QQQQ]

Oregon to Cabo: Every time they ooh'd and aah'd over the outdoor view I kept wondering what I was missing. All I could see was scrubby landscape and piles of dirt. Not sure I'd want to haul my cookies that far to go UTVing and swim in a cement pond. 😅And if I heard "Cabo Chris" one more time - gag me...

[aghst]

Atlanta to Haifa.

Fun couple really embracing the move to Israel, open to adopting new cuisine.

They’ve traveled before and asked for contribUtions to their fund for moving abroad instead of traditional wedding gifts.

They prioritized view so it was the more expensive of the final two choices, also longer commute.  But it was a nice terrace, showed them taking their meal outside like many people who eat in front of their TVs.

Thought it was interesting that the realtor cited the number of bedrooms and living room instead of number of bathrooms.  So apartments with more than one living room are not uncommon in Israel?

[sempervivum]

Haifa couple- wasn't seeing a 'sea view'. Saw a lot of roads with heavy traffic, parking lots, a bunch of ongoing construction, and a faint blue line in the horizon. However, she did a great job of decorating considering that the furniture that came with the place was weird/basic.

[buttersister]

I liked the Haifa couple a lot and think they chose the right place for them (waving from the terrace). Agree that her decorating was well done. One thing I noticed was a comment the realtor mentioned when they were in the second place--the one that needed furniture. He said "we" would let them pick out whatever they wanted (from a selection?) and it made me wonder who "we" was, if he had a stake in that place?

[abbyzenn]

Liked the couple moving to Haifa and they really seemed to be embracing their new life - wish more of the people on this show were like them.  I watch for the houses not to see demanding people.  

I thought all 3 places looked pretty much the same - same color walls, same flooring, almost the same living room, dining area, kitchen layout.  I guessing all were fairly new construction.

The one they chose did have the nicest balcony.

[javajeanelaine]

I liked the Haifa couple also. They seem to actually like each other!

It was nice to see a different part of the world.

[Tess23]

The Haifa episode was a breath of fresh air. Finally someplace that's not Australia or the Caribbean!

[chocolatine]

On 9/21/2022 at 1:01 AM, aghst said:

Thought it was interesting that the realtor cited the number of bedrooms and living room instead of number of bathrooms.  So apartments with more than one living room are not uncommon in Israel?

I think he was emphasizing that the living room was in addition to the bedrooms, rather than one of the bedrooms having to be used as a living room. In Europe and the Middle East there isn't really a concept of "bedrooms," just "rooms" and people use them however needed. Sometimes the kitchen is the only living space and the other rooms are all used for sleeping.

[Thumper]

Tonight’s episode was an odd one.  Sort of “where are they now,” but we had to watch the couple watch their old episode and comment on it.  Then in the last few minutes they showed us how their house looked now.  I hadn’t seen the original episode (Nicaragua) so that was new to me, but I didn’t really need the couple’s comments now about what they were thinking then. 

HHI must be running out of people?

[chessiegal]

10 hours ago, Thumper said:

Tonight’s episode was an odd one.  Sort of “where are they now,” but we had to watch the couple watch their old episode and comment on it.  Then in the last few minutes they showed us how their house looked now.  I hadn’t seen the original episode (Nicaragua) so that was new to me, but I didn’t really need the couple’s comments now about what they were thinking then. 

HHI must be running out of people?

They've done the same concept before. I guess they're bringing it back. I remember one couple were not even together anymore.

[ECM1231]

11 hours ago, Thumper said:

Tonight’s episode was an odd one.  Sort of “where are they now,” but we had to watch the couple watch their old episode and comment on it.  Then in the last few minutes they showed us how their house looked now.  I hadn’t seen the original episode (Nicaragua) so that was new to me, but I didn’t really need the couple’s comments now about what they were thinking then. 

HHI must be running out of people?

The female made a comment at the beginning that 5 years later she still had no ring on her finger. Well, whose fault was that? They had been together since age 16 or so. Either sh#t or get off the pot, as my late mom would say. 

I, also, hadn't seen the original episode. I just zipped through all the chatter.

[aghst]

Yeah I don't recognize the original couple in Nicaragua.

They bought a plot of land and built their own rather than choose one of the 3 homes?

OK, they didn't like the choices, some for stylistic reasons like the white elevated homes, which had a beautiful looking ground where they could build additional structures to rent out.

Maybe it was money, they found they could build more cheaply on their own?  Because they had a $140k budget but bought the land for $45k whereas the other homes were around $140k but didn't have the additional casitas?

They also claim the buildings were designed so that they always get breezes and don't need AC.  Good savings of money but does that mean keeping the windows open all the time?  Noise and insects aren't a problem?

Looks like a nice place on the Pacific coast but wonder how much of a draw Nicaragua is compared to Costa Rica for Americans.

[Jodithgrace]

The date of this episode was 2020, so this is one of the episodes they did during the pandemic. Not sure why this showed up on my DVR as a new episode. I also don’t remember the original couple, but they seem to have done well for themselves, at least until the pandemic impacted tourism. 

[Pine]

Why all the bars on the windows?  Asking for a friend.   :)

[Grrarrggh]

1 hour ago, Pine said:

Why all the bars on the windows?  Asking for a friend.   :)

Monkeys. And people second. 

[TVForever]

I really like the “Where are they now” episodes. I know they were a way to make “ new” content during the pandemic, but I would love the producers to make these part of the regular rotation.

[ML89]

10 hours ago, TVForever said:

I really like the “Where are they now” episodes. I know they were a way to make “ new” content during the pandemic, but I would love the producers to make these part of the regular rotation.

Yes. I would love to know what happened to that woman in Frankfurt who had the shower in the kitchen, or some of the other folks where you look at the house and think "you are not going to last six months here."

[Ottis]

Cabo couple from Oregon. Just me or did the woman of the couple resemble Janice on The Sopranos?

I never get the HOA hate. I might question the HOA fee, but people like this couple don’t cite that, they “don’t like people telling me what I can do with my property.” That’s exactly why we need HOAs. Too many people want to do ugly, inconsiderate things. 

Just me, but I would never relax in Mexico, with the random violent crime and kidnappings. At the very lease you would need to be alert all the time, even in tourist areas these days. I’m not sure how the CEO guy will relax there with a house and business in Oregon. Good luck to them, though. 

[Irlandesa]

1 hour ago, Ottis said:

I never get the HOA hate. I might question the HOA fee, but people like this couple don’t cite that, they “don’t like people telling me what I can do with my property.” That’s exactly why we need HOAs. Too many people want to do ugly, inconsiderate things. 

Maybe it's their history tied to racism.  And in theory, they're meant to collectively manage a housing development to keep housing values up but they're also run by people.  Sometimes the noisiest person.  Sometimes they create rules but they're enforced unequally.  Or they create rules that are extremely picky. 

[Bastet]

When I lived in a condo, of course we needed an HOA in order to manage the common areas and expenses, and in that situation it makes sense to demand all the porch lights be the same, the front doors painted the same color, etc. to make the building look right.  But not for one dollar would I buy a single family home that was subject to CC&Rs.  Municipal ordinances suffice just fine for the big stuff, and I'll paint my house whatever color I want and plant whatever plants I want, thank you.  I very much want to live in a neighborhood where everyone's house and yard are different.

[abbyzenn]

The guy moving from Texas to Dublin seemed very nice.  Good thing he is outgoing because without an office to go it would be harder to meet people.  You really don't get much for your money in Dublin - the place he took was really small - but I can see him wanting to be in the city center.  That second place was rather ridiculous and who would paint a rental place pink? The 3rd place was the most spacious but it didn't appear as if there was anything else around.

[aghst]

Dublin guy doesn't have an office?

Hmm, he did say he needed an office.

But why move if he's working remotely.  He said he took a cut in pay and the cost of living is higher in Dublin than in Dallas.

OK, easy trips to Europe is a big plus.  But otherwise, he could do the same job in Dallas and maybe save up more money.

Though airfare costs more from the US and he wouldn't' be able to do weekend trips like he could from Dublin.

[seacliffsal]

I really liked the Dublin house hunter.  He seemed to accept the limitations to his "wish list" with good grace and humor.  I could see being friends with him which isn't a feeling I usually have with house hunters...

Dublin looked lovely and fun.

[Soapy Goddess]

On 9/28/2022 at 2:21 PM, Grrarrggh said:

Monkeys. And people second. 

Monkeys climb on windows?  What about sliding glass doors?  I didn't see any bars on the patio door?