House Hunters International - General Discussion

[laredhead]

I haven't seen the Gouda episode yet, but regarding the wife not being enthusiastic about moving back to her home country, I remember a few years ago there was a couple in Las Vegas, or nearby, looking for a house.  The man was from another country, and he was so excited about moving to America and having a large house with modern conveniences.  The wife, who was American, was used to large houses, etc.  Maybe the Gouda wife had grown accustomed to the American lifestyle and wasn't interested in returning to smaller spaces, and fewer conveniences?  It's on my viewing list for tonight.  

 

[aghst]

Gouda wife worked but then found out they're moving and then they're having a baby almost the same time.

So that may be what she's thinking about, raising the kid but then maybe go back to work.

 

 

[Andyourlittledog2]

I just think the Gouda wife was overwhelmed and probably exhausted. Having a baby, getting little sleep, hormones all wacky, international move and house buying -- I wouldn't wish that on my enemy. Poor woman. I think once they settled and the baby is a little older and she has more sleep she will probably seem a little happier.

Also, she is close to family, but there's family and then there is family. Not all family is good to be around long term or seems the same as when you were a kid. Who knows? I liked the couple though.

[Chit Chat]

On 5/31/2023 at 6:26 PM, Thumper said:

Did they pronounce Gouda as “gowdah” or “howdah?”

It sounded like "howdah" to me.  Either way, I've been pronouncing it wrong my whole life!  I liked the fixer upper house, but with the cracks in the wall, more than likely there's an issue with the foundation.  I was surprised none of them thought of that.   They will need some baby gates to make sure the little one doesn't go up or down both sets of stairs.  They didn't seem concerned about it though. 

Why are there only small ovens in the Netherlands?  Does anybody know if that's the standard there?  It must be since even the new build had a small oven.  I was tired of the guy whining about not fitting a turkey in them.  He might have to settle for a couple of turkey legs!  

 

[buttersister]

The moving to Sweden couple -- she's clearly in charge and his demands and whining seem to be his temporary way of acting out.  Although he wasn't wrong about that first bathroom! I missed the very start of it, why did he need two bathrooms? And her objection to the balconies? No sale.

I thought that he being a chef they might show more food than whatever he was stirring at the end. He got a job in a Swedish restaurant, I would like to know more about that. Oh well. #3 was a good choice.

[Orcinus orca]

I thought the 'move to Sweden" couple was more tolerable than usual.  Seems like the two bathroom thing was producer driven, the guy only said something along the line of "a happy couple has two bathrooms" without any explanation.  And since one works days and the other afternoon, they each have the place to themselves most of the time anyway. HHI is running out of silly "must haves".

Moving from Singapore to Sweden is quite a leap in lifestyle for him.

[proserpina65]

15 hours ago, Chit Chat said:

Why are there only small ovens in the Netherlands?  Does anybody know if that's the standard there? 

Many of the places in the European episodes have small ovens.  It seems to be the standard in many countries.  I imagine cost has something to do with it.

[Chit Chat]

2 hours ago, proserpina65 said:

Many of the places in the European episodes have small ovens.  It seems to be the standard in many countries.  I imagine cost has something to do with it.

I guess they don't cook 20 lbs+ turkeys!!  ;)  

[buttersister]

1 hour ago, Chit Chat said:

I guess they don't cook 20 lbs+ turkeys!!  ;) 

They sure don't! David Lebovitz (chef and author and ex-pat living in Paris) has great stories about his first Thanksgiving holidays after moving. So do friends who lived in Oxford for two years. They found local poultry. That fit into their small oven. And small fridge. Small place. Small car. Big wonderful life with tons of travel (they'd go into London for the day and locals would be shocked--London was so far away in their minds, it was a vacation destination;-)

I'm always just a little surprised (or figure producer interference) when people moving to Europe have done so little research they act surprised by washers in the kitchen, small or no ovens, etc.

[Chit Chat]

40 minutes ago, buttersister said:

I'm always just a little surprised (or figure producer interference) when people moving to Europe have done so little research they act surprised by washers in the kitchen, small or no ovens, etc.

It seems like a lot of them do very little research before they move!  One of my main concerns would be with the health care system of the country I'd be moving to and how their system works.  I guess when you're young like most of these couples are, it might not be a main concern!

[Chit Chat]

20 hours ago, buttersister said:

The moving to Sweden couple -- she's clearly in charge and his demands and whining seem to be his temporary way of acting out.

He seemed like a nervous Nellie, but I attributed it to him being anxious about the move since he's never done that before.  Hopefully he's in a good routine now and is enjoying Sweden! I'm glad that she is close to the train, and he's close to the city center.  That sounds like a win for both of them!

14 hours ago, Orcinus orca said:

the guy only said something along the line of "a happy couple has two bathrooms" without any explanation. 

Either it's a modesty kind of thing and he wants her to have her own bathroom, or he doesn't want her cluttering up the space with products.  They haven't been together that long, so maybe he's a shy pooper and needs his own space so that he doesn't have to worry about stinking it up and having her find out that he actually poops! Gives a whole new meaning to the Dr. Seuss book 'Oh, The Places You'll Go!"  😜

I was really curious about the Turning Torso skyscraper shown in the background.  Here's an article about it on Wikipedia.

[aghst]

Johan, the Malmo realtor was hamming it up.

"That's a Spanish balcony!"

He was selling the other places and pretty much negated Suresh's demands for two bathrooms.

Maybe they can do more episodes in Sweden with him as their agent there.

[Bastet]

6 hours ago, Chit Chat said:

One of my main concerns would be with the health care system of the country I'd be moving to and how their system works.  I guess when you're young like most of these couples are, it might not be a main concern!

The U.S. ranks so low in terms of healthcare systems - and utterly abysmally in just the "industrialized world" - that would be quite far down my list of things to research if I was considering emigrating.  Especially if it was to a European country, and most particularly a western European country, since the move would almost always constitute an improvement on that front and certainly wouldn't be a downgrade.

[Chit Chat]

9 hours ago, Bastet said:

Especially if it was to a European country, and most particularly a western European country, since the move would almost always constitute an improvement on that front and certainly wouldn't be a downgrade.

I'm talking in terms of things like if you have insurance through the company you're working for, how does that work when in another country; and will the town I'm moving to have easy access to the doctors I need (especially if one has a chronic condition); what are the surgical centers like, etc.  I have no clue as to how other countries' facilities are, and I'd want to know.  YMMV.

9 hours ago, Bastet said:

The U.S. ranks so low in terms of healthcare systems - and utterly abysmally in just the "industrialized world" -

That may be so, but in my neck of the woods, we have access to many top-notch hospitals and doctors, and they are hardly abysmal.  I'm sorry if that's been your experience.  

[Chit Chat]

One thing I forgot to mention about the apartments in Sweden was how unique and big most of the light fixtures were!  IIRC, the realtor had to duck when he went under a couple of them.  Being short, it wouldn't be a problem for me, but for taller folks, it would be.  I guess you'd learn to go around them!

[Andyourlittledog2]

I have known two people, French citizens, who lived here in LA for many many years and when faced with a medical problem that concerned them immediately got on a plane to Paris and were seen by what they considered the far superior French physicians and had tests etc and the bills for these things was practically nothing. They were willing to be treated in the US but they wanted to be sure the 'best' doctors got their situations right. What I found amazing is that they could just pop up after all these years and still be seen there for almost nothing and very quickly. This was some years ago. Anyway, I think most western European countries have a pretty good system. I would not include Britain in that at this time as they are having serious problems with their system at the moment but on the continent I think it might be good.

But I do agree, I would have that situation nailed down before I made a move to another country. Most of the folks we see seem to be young so they might not worry so much about this but they should. And maybe they do we don't know.

I realize that the HHI episodes are pretty much a written narrative and not a true story of the lives and the house search but I have decided to accept them at face value and judge them the same. It's more fun that way. Besides, if they are going to say stupid things and make ridiculous demands then judgment is what they signed up for. I'm here for the houses in foreign lands. The people not so much.

[Orcinus orca]

1 hour ago, Andyourlittledog2 said:

Anyway, I think most western European countries have a pretty good system.

I believe you are correct.  But, as a retired flight nurse who did transports from countries all over the world, I can tell you some horror stories about what I have seen in other countries!  If I was given a million dollar villa in some places (including Mexico) I would turn it down.

[Andyourlittledog2]

11 minutes ago, Orcinus orca said:

But, as a retired flight nurse who did transports from countries all over the world, I can tell you some horror stories about what I have seen in other countries!  If I was given a million dollar villa in some places (including Mexico) I would turn it down.

Oh yeah. I totally agree with you there. But that's true of many areas of the US. When retiring, it's important to understand what medical services are available near you and how good they are. It's very uneven. Now that I'm older it's one of the first thing I look at in a new area. So moving overseas to some of the places these HHI folks go looks amazing and exciting but would be a total no-go for me. I guess I'm past the 'let's have an adventure!' stage. 

[ECM1231]

An acquaintance of mine was seriously considering a move to Portugal, in an area where many ex- pat Americans lived. When looking into their health care system, she found out that they don't accept non-citizens after a certain age. I want to say maybe 70? I believe she's 75, so she didn't qualify. She wants a warmer climate, so Canada is out. Won't consider FL or other red states. Her all in budget is 2k/month or less, so she's kinda screwed. No way she can remain where she currently lives. 

[javajeanelaine]

Several years ago, I rented a villa in Greece with friends.  One of my friends broke her arm and when we took her to the hospital, the doctors saw her and treated her, no questions asked.  It wasn’t the most plush facility but she was treated kindly and well.

[proserpina65]

On 6/3/2023 at 1:01 AM, aghst said:

Johan, the Malmo realtor was hamming it up.

"That's a Spanish balcony!"

It's what's known in the construction trade as a Juliet balcony.  I loved Johan.  He was quick to let them know that 2 bathrooms wasn't going to happen with their budget.

On 6/2/2023 at 6:40 PM, Chit Chat said:

It seems like a lot of them do very little research before they move!  One of my main concerns would be with the health care system of the country I'd be moving to and how their system works.  I guess when you're young like most of these couples are, it might not be a main concern!

Given that most of what we seen in the episode is made up or exaggerated, I'd say the house hunters probably have all that figured out well before they get on the plane.  Particularly those who are moving for their jobs.

On 6/3/2023 at 6:28 PM, Andyourlittledog2 said:

Oh yeah. I totally agree with you there. But that's true of many areas of the US. When retiring, it's important to understand what medical services are available near you and how good they are. It's very uneven.

Yep, our health system is very location based and, quite frankly, treatment is expensive.  There's a reason people are having severe financial difficulties due to major medical bills.

[buttersister]

5 hours ago, proserpina65 said:

Given that most of what we seen in the episode is made up or exaggerated, I'd say the house hunters probably have all that figured out well before they get on the plane.  Particularly those who are moving for their jobs.

Indeed. Multi-national companies don't move employees overseas and just wish them bon voyage.

[aghst]

Vermont to Puerto Morales.

Older couple, want to get away from Vermont winters ASAP.  They don't want renovation projects either, be able to move in now and live out their new lives.

Modest budget so they want to get in right away before prices go up.

House 1 was way under budget but needs a lot of work, including maybe adding a pool.

House 2 was mostly ready to move in condo.  There is a yard that needs to be cleaned up but otherwise the complex has all the amenities they want like pool, tennis courts.

House 3 was a model home for a community being built.  It would be customized and seemed the nicest.  But they'd have to wait at least a year.  Neither, especially the guy, wants to live through another cold winter.

They eliminate House 1 and choose House 2 to move in ASAP.

No question this move was for keeps, not for TV, not for blog, not for sabbatical abroad.  Retirement in a hot, affordable place.  Probably a common thing for American expats in Mexico and Central America.

 

 

[seacliffsal]

Although the condo seemed great for the Vermont couple, I always wonder about the HOA fees.  Even if the fees are affordable now, they can increase along with owners being charges assessments for needed renovations, etc.  

[aghst]

Alberta to Puerto Morales.

This time it's a family of 5 escaping the bitter cold to the same Mexican town, this time with $225k budget.  Same realtor, forget her name, who showed properties to the Vermont couple is showing properties in this episode.

Wife is standing firm on budget, says husband doesn't know how much they have.

House 1 was okay but too close to the highway and they could hear road noise, a big no-no for the husband.

House 2 is in a resort like place but $10k over the budget, which makes the wife balk.

House 3 is the luxe choice, with a rooftop pool.  Like a lot of other Mexican construction, these are tall buildings with relatively small footprints.  But it blows out the budget, $25k over.

They end up with House 2.  Of course all is well 3 months after.

 

[Chit Chat]

7 hours ago, aghst said:

House 3 is the luxe choice, with a rooftop pool.

I thought that house and the surrounding area was gorgeous!  House #2 with the amenities was probably the better choice for the family.  

7 hours ago, aghst said:

Alberta to Puerto Morales.

I think this show has turned into a big advertisement for moving to Puerto Morales!  I wish them all well in their quest for paradise.  It looks lovely there.  :) 

[Pi237]

On 6/2/2023 at 6:56 AM, Orcinus orca said:

 "a happy couple has two bathrooms" 

This is 100% True, especially if you have kids. 😁

[Andyourlittledog2]

The woman moving to Bonn Germany for school was impossible. She was a whiner and just complained if the apartments shown were almost perfect but there was one thing she didn't have exactly her way. The realtor seemed frustrated by her also. But mostly it was her whining that aggravated me. It was always 'Yeahhhhhh, but....." and it drove me nuts. I hope she is happy and successful but I don't want to hear from her anymore.

[Orcinus orca]

45 minutes ago, Pi237 said:

This is 100% True, especially if you have kids. 😁

But they didn't have kids.  And didn't they end up with a one bedroom?

[Pi237]

1 hour ago, Orcinus orca said:

But they didn't have kids.  And didn't they end up with a one bedroom?

Yes. But it’s still true 🤣

[laredhead]

I watched the episode about a woman and her 15 year old daughter moving to the Sunshine Coast in Australia.  The mother would have fit in during the 60's, IMO.  She said her financial advisor had helped her achieve financial security, and I was wondering what type of jobs she had held to do that.  One of the things she said was working on boats in the Caribbean. There had to have been a good paying long term job somewhere along the way, or a divorce settlement, or inheritance involved to be able to pay up to a million dollars.   

[Thumper]

4 minutes ago, laredhead said:

I watched the episode about a woman and her 15 year old daughter moving to the Sunshine Coast in Australia.  The mother would have fit in during the 60's, IMO.  She said her financial advisor had helped her achieve financial security, and I was wondering what type of jobs she had held to do that.  One of the things she said was working on boats in the Caribbean. There had to have been a good paying long term job somewhere along the way, or a divorce settlement, or inheritance involved to be able to pay up to a million dollars.   

Was that the one where the daughter had an Aussie accent but her mother didn’t?  I missed the beginning of the episode.  Had the family lived there for awhile, then moved to San Diego (post divorce maybe?) and now going back?  Yeah, the mom was very Zen! 

[aghst]

2 hours ago, laredhead said:

I watched the episode about a woman and her 15 year old daughter moving to the Sunshine Coast in Australia.  The mother would have fit in during the 60's, IMO.  She said her financial advisor had helped her achieve financial security, and I was wondering what type of jobs she had held to do that.  One of the things she said was working on boats in the Caribbean. There had to have been a good paying long term job somewhere along the way, or a divorce settlement, or inheritance involved to be able to pay up to a million dollars.   

 

She seemed wistful when she saw a double sink in one of the properties, like she wasn't expecting to have to share that with someone any time soon.

Also, the daughter asked for a brother or sister from very early on and when she was told "emphatically" no, she asked for a dog.

Hmm, there may actually be an interesting back story there.

If not a biological sibling, what about adopting?

Mother really wanted isolation, not have to see neighbors.  So more in the bush rather than near the coast and town where the daughter wanted to be.

The girl is 15.  She's going to want to drive on her own, not rely on mom to drive her from their remote home.  It's not just going to be two of them forever as she will want to spend more time with friends.

They only showed one house near town but it was so over budget, it wasn't a realistic option.  But she asked for 3 bedroom, 3 bathrooms and yet settled for the 2 bedroom 1 bathroom home?

The home on the nature reserve was huge, a lot of home for the money.  But no dogs allowed.  Too isolated though so the daughter vetoed it.

 

 

[Andyourlittledog2]

1 hour ago, Thumper said:

Was that the one where the daughter had an Aussie accent but her mother didn’t?  I missed the beginning of the episode.  Had the family lived there for awhile, then moved to San Diego (post divorce maybe?) and now going back?  Yeah, the mom was very Zen! 

Yeah, I saw that one. The mom had been born in New York or something and then was in Hollywood? doing small roles or stuff and then went to work on boats in the Caribbean or something?  Then she had a daughter in Australia (maybe her dad is an Aussie) but moved back to San Diego and has been there with her daughter who is now fifteen. So now she decided to take her million dollars in savings and move to Australia with her kid and they are looking for houses. But her daughter has an Australian accent. I have no idea why. Maybe her daughter went back and forth with her Aussie dad? The whole thing was so convoluted it was weird but I spent the entire episode wondering why her daughter had such a strong accent when she hadn't lived there.

The mom irritated me because she seemed so zen and one with the universe and got vibes from houses and wanted to be her daughter's equal etc but it seemed so fake. Like her daughter had wanted a dog desperately since she was four but her mom always said no and now when it was dangled in front of her, practically a promise, her mom was really pushing for the house that would not allow a dog. She also was big on the house that was far from other people so difficult for her kid but was entirely her one with the earth thing. Again, her daughter is an easily shoved aside afterthought. She just worked very hard to push her daughter into agreeing to get the house she wanted in spite of her daughter's strong opinion otherwise.

I just didn't like her. Kid got her dog but had to accept the house away from potential friends and the beach and any fun.

 

[Chit Chat]

5 hours ago, Andyourlittledog2 said:

She just worked very hard to push her daughter into agreeing to get the house she wanted in spite of her daughter's strong opinion otherwise.

I think the mom would've chosen the house on the little island - the one you got to by ferry, but the daughter wasn't too keen on having to take the ferry just to come and go.  I think the novelty of that would wear off soon, unless you were content to stay put and not need to leave too often which I think the mom would've been fine with.

The home closer to town was close to the busy road.  The mom asked the daughter if she'd rather have the house close to town & the beach (but no dog), or live farther out and have a dog, and she chose the latter (the mom looked surprised).   At least they have a pool there and the daughter has plenty of room to run around with her dog.  Since that home came in under budget, maybe they could add on a second bathroom.  It wouldn't have to be as big as the other bathroom.  I'm surprised the realtor didn't suggest that, unless there's some reason that adding a bathroom would be difficult there.  

 

 

[cinsays]

9 hours ago, laredhead said:

I watched the episode about a woman and her 15 year old daughter moving to the Sunshine Coast in Australia.  The mother would have fit in during the 60's, IMO.  She said her financial advisor had helped her achieve financial security, and I was wondering what type of jobs she had held to do that.  One of the things she said was working on boats in the Caribbean. There had to have been a good paying long term job somewhere along the way, or a divorce settlement, or inheritance involved to be able to pay up to a million dollars.   

yeah, and for the realtor to show her a home that was $1.3M and her to even consider it? no way

glad the daughter got to get her dog

1 hour ago, Chit Chat said:

I think the mom would've chosen the house on the little island - the one you got to by ferry, but the daughter wasn't too keen on having to take the ferry just to come and go.  I think the novelty of that would wear off soon, unless you were content to stay put and not need to leave too often which I think the mom would've been fine with.

The home closer to town was close to the busy road.  The mom asked the daughter if she'd rather have the house close to town & the beach (but no dog), or live farther out and have a dog, and she chose the latter (the mom looked surprised).   At least they have a pool there and the daughter has plenty of room to run around with her dog.  Since that home came in under budget, maybe they could add on a second bathroom.  It wouldn't have to be as big as the other bathroom.  I'm surprised the realtor didn't suggest that, unless there's some reason that adding a bathroom would be difficult there.  

 

 

i was wondering if it was situated such that the daughter could safely ride a bike into town to meet with friends.  also got the impression that the mom would have been fine with the daughter not making any friends and just being buddies with mom

[Kemper]

I thought the mother’s passive-aggressive behavior towards her daughter was shocking. Practically forcing your child (just my opinion) into making the decision of where you both will live - mostly based on what you want, is uncomfortable to watch. But the most egregious thing was the “dangling” of the dog to get her way. And yes to the above poster who wondered why the daughter had apparently wanted a dog forever - and now she is 15 and will be leaving for college in a few years. Maybe their lifestyle and living arrangements did not permit a dog. Let your daughter have the dog and a chance to be a teenager with friends and a social life. Sorry, but I actively disliked this mother. But maybe there is a backstory that we aren’t aware of.

[chessiegal]

14 minutes ago, Kemper said:

maybe there is a backstory that we aren’t aware of.

Ya think? 😉

[laredhead]

Unless the daughter is going to take the dog with her when she goes off to college (if that's her plan), the mother is going to end up with the dog to take care of, or give it away. 

Surely, someone on this forum can find the backstory on this one - lol.

 

[aghst]

Other thing is, how did they get visas to reside there?

It doesn't sound like either of them would have Australian citizenship.  Mother didn't talk about work so maybe she doesn't have to work, which would make the visa situation easier to deal with.

Where would the daughter go to college, in Australia or back in the US?

Hmm, could it be a home school situation? That would allow them to live in remote areas, if they didn't have to worry about her having to get to school.

[eel2178]

1 minute ago, aghst said:

Hmm, could it be a home school situation? That would allow them to live in remote areas, if they didn't have to worry about her having to get to school.

Australia has long had School of the Outback throughout the country. Students participate with a teacher over an intercom during set school hours. I would assume they've now advanced to video participation for people who can get the bandwidth for wifi, although I don't know that for sure.

[proserpina65]

17 hours ago, Pi237 said:

Yes. But it’s still true 🤣

Nah, it's not.  Plenty of us grew up with just one bathroom and no one got divorced.

13 hours ago, Thumper said:

Was that the one where the daughter had an Aussie accent but her mother didn’t?  I missed the beginning of the episode.  Had the family lived there for awhile, then moved to San Diego (post divorce maybe?) and now going back?  Yeah, the mom was very Zen! 

I found her to be annoyingly woo woo, and fairly unconcerned about her daughter's needs.  The daughter seemed pretty down to earth, though, and I guess it worked out for her.  At least she was able to get a dog.

I liked the third place the best, especially since it was near the beach, but I totally get not wanting to extend that far financially.  For me, though, being near the beach would be a non-negotiable must-have.

11 hours ago, aghst said:

Hmm, there may actually be an interesting back story there.

If not a biological sibling, what about adopting?

Maybe she knew one child was all she could handle.  If so, good for her for sticking to that.  More people should be so aware of their limits.

6 hours ago, Chit Chat said:

The home closer to town was close to the busy road.  The mom asked the daughter if she'd rather have the house close to town & the beach (but no dog), or live farther out and have a dog, and she chose the latter (the mom looked surprised).

It was the house on the island where they couldn't have had a dog.  The one near town was fine for a dog but it was significantly more expensive.

[mojito]

San Diego to Sunshine Coast

I didn't get the impression that this mother-daughter duo had just arrived in Australia. When the mother said "drug store" the daughter said she thought they called it a "chemist" here. I thought that was a clumsy way to make us think they were newly arrived in Australia. But the daughter's accent said otherwise.

I know from experience that, when immersed in a culture, one can absorb somewhat of the local accent fairly quickly. (Meanwhile, you can have someone who has lived in the US from another country and they never lose their accent.) That said, it wouldn't surprise me to learn that Australians who hear the daughter speak roll their eyes because they know she's trying hard to sound like a native. 

For me, the mother was a little cultish and new agey and the daughter put on an innocent, starry-eyed act. My bullshit alarm kept going off. I suspect a seedy backstory. 

 

 

[proserpina65]

16 hours ago, mojito said:

I know from experience that, when immersed in a culture, one can absorb somewhat of the local accent fairly quickly.

True.  Hell, I used to work with a girl from West Virginia and after about a month, I found myself unconsciously imitating her accent.  Not on purpose and not to make fun of her, which fortunately she understood.

[Andyourlittledog2]

I watch HH and HHI to relax late at night while I try to get sleepy enough to fall asleep. It's innocuous and pleasant and short enough not to demand any real length of time.  I record it so I have a lot stored up on my DVR and can watch any time of night. It's supposed to be relaxing.

So I watched two last night that got me all wound up. I mean infuriated. I know. The househunters probably have lived there for some time and are faking it for the show because otherwise how would HHI find all these cooperative people in weird places? But because I view it at face value for the fun of it I couldn't help getting emotionally upset by these two episodes.

The first was a couple moving to Amsterdam so he could start a new business and she was a stay at home mom who saw this move as her way to get her dream view of the canals and also to start writing and become a best-selling author. Seriously. Anyway, she was exhibiting the emotional maturity of a sixteen year old girl and had an orthopedic disease process that made stairs a serious problem for her. So of course they selected Amsterdam! And he was super nervous about getting his business started and providing for his family in this fun new location! I felt sorry for their kids because they were being raised by morons who act on their emotions and not on careful planning. If I heard the wife whine, 'But I waaaaannnnnt it!' one more time I was going to hit something. 

Next episode, thirty year old Englishwoman moving to Australia's Sunshine Coast. She managed somehow to find the most pushy manipulative person in Australia to be her bestie and only friend who helped her in her search. This friend decided that the woman needed to be in a share housing situation and would not be deterred even though the woman stated over and over again that she was an adult now and wanted to live on her own. And the real estate agent was in cahoots with the friend and was helping the friend to basically coerce the woman into a share housing deal. Seriously, it was like the woman had landed in a cult and was being handled to get her to conform to what the cult wanted. They paid absolutely no attention to what the woman wanted and were both trying to strong arm her into having roommates. The only place she saw that was private was at her extreme insistance (and weathering the constant disapproval of the agent and friend) but above her budget. I find it hard to believe that there are not less expensive and also less luxurious lodgings in that area. The agent didn't even try to find her something less splashy that she could afford. It was shared housing or die trying. As an introvert with a stubborn streak I was vicariously furious with the constant 'we will get you in shared housing if we have to kidnap you and tie you to a chair' attitude of the agent and friend. It was very weird.

Anyway, I realize this is stupid. The stories are embellished and we have no idea how much is them and how much is show. But it affected me. Took me another hour just to relax again and I had to watch a true crime show about a gruesome murder to calm down and go to sleep. I am not sure what that says about me.

[eel2178]

5 hours ago, proserpina65 said:

True.  Hell, I used to work with a girl from West Virginia and after about a month, I found myself unconsciously imitating her accent.  Not on purpose and not to make fun of her, which fortunately she understood.

I lived in WV, and it only took about 6 months for me to acquire the accent. I went back OR for a week, and by the end of that trip, my brother was also talking with a WV accent. He went back to school after Thanksgiving break, and everyone was asking him where he had gone for the holiday because his new accent was so noticeable.

[Chit Chat]

3 hours ago, Andyourlittledog2 said:

As an introvert with a stubborn streak I was vicariously furious with the constant 'we will get you in shared housing if we have to kidnap you and tie you to a chair' attitude of the agent and friend. It was very weird.

I agree.  I was annoyed with the friend and realtor too.  The friend didn't want her to stress over the cost, but what about the stress of moving in with strangers?  What if that didn't work out and she was stuck in a lease.  If she went with the apartment that was a little bit over budget, odds are that she could find work on the weekend to cover it.  That wouldn't be ideal, but if that happened, at least she'd still be in her own home, since that is what she stressed was the most important thing over and over again!!

At least she doesn't have to commute to work in her car, although the other places would've only been about 10 minutes away.  I'm rolling my eyes because a lot of us commute much farther for work, so a 10-minute drive would be ideal!!  Maybe she won't need a car since she can walk to work though.  She didn't elaborate on the car situation. 

[aghst]

I think the London to Sunshine Coast house hunter was a real performer, probably playing up wanting to live alone but only the shared apt. was viable for her.

She could have pretended to stick strictly to budget if the producers wanted her to.

She says she came out of her shell when she came to Australia, would never have tried to get a job being a radio on-air personality back in London?

Somehow I doubt she could make a radical personality change just like that.  But how would she get a first-time radio job?  Easier to get an opportunity in a small market but to be natural and comfortable on the air?

She also wasn’t self conscious on camera either.  In fact not sure her personality lends itself to living alone.  Back in London she lived with mum and sis so she’s never lived alone?

And she chose that specific town in Australia presumably because her father is there or at least told her about the place.

[Andyourlittledog2]

6 minutes ago, aghst said:

I think the London to Sunshine Coast house hunter was a real performer, probably playing up wanting to live alone but only the shared apt. was viable for her.

She could have pretended to stick strictly to budget if the producers wanted her to.

She says she came out of her shell when she came to Australia, would never have tried to get a job being a radio on-air personality back in London?

Somehow I doubt she could make a radical personality change just like that.  But how would she get a first-time radio job?  Easier to get an opportunity in a small market but to be natural and comfortable on the air?

She also wasn’t self conscious on camera either.  In fact not sure her personality lends itself to living alone.  Back in London she lived with mum and sis so she’s never lived alone?

And she chose that specific town in Australia presumably because her father is there or at least told her about the place.

Absolutely could be. But it didn't calm me down one bit last night. There was just this visceral reaction to the friend and agent that I could not stop. I just made me furious. Even if it was a put on, it made me mad.

I may need a new late night show to relax to. 😁

 

Edited June 10, 2023 by Andyourlittledog2

[cinsays]

8 hours ago, Andyourlittledog2 said:

Absolutely could be. But it didn't calm me down one bit last night. There was just this visceral reaction to the friend and agent that I could not stop. I just made me furious. Even if it was a put on, it made me mad.

I may need a new late night show to relax to. 😁

 

i'm with you...  i have been taping both hh and hhi for a long time for the same sleep-relaxing reasons and hated both these episodes

it's getting so that i only am interested in seeing the housing and tolerate the hunters