House Hunters International - General Discussion

[aghst]

Garden in the English sense meaning a yard in a house.

He talked about it for the kids.

[cinsays]

15 hours ago, buttersister said:

Considering this is a rental—and who wants their lawn dug up?—containers seem mandatory.😉

yeah and i really didn't get the whole big garden idea..........they all had quite a bit of land/lawn and nothing was already an garden unless i don't know what a garden is

 

[Bastet]

49 minutes ago, cinsays said:

unless i don't know what a garden is

As posted above, a garden in British English garden just means what we'd call a yard in the U.S. -- it may involve growing plants and vegetables, but it doesn't have to; even if it was just lawn or such it would be called a garden.  So if that's the way it was being used (I didn't see it), he's just saying he wants a big yard.

Edited August 5, 2023 by Bastet

[cinsays]

2 minutes ago, Bastet said:

As posted above, a garden in British English just means what we'd call a yard in the U.S. -- it may involve growing plants and vegetables, but even if it was just lawn or such it would be called a garden.  So if that's the way it was being used (I didn't see it), he's just saying he wants a big yard.

oh, so just showing off that he knows British terms.... i'm so impressed.....not

 

[mojito]

Not showing off, just showing some knowledge and respect for the location. No way I'd throw around the word "yard" to showcase my ignorance/arrogance when I know better.

[ECM1231]

Never having been to the UK, it was through this show that I learned that their term for the American backyard is garden. I believe the Aussies use the word "lounge" for living room, if I'm not mistaken. 

[mojito]

46 minutes ago, ECM1231 said:

Never having been to the UK, it was through this show that I learned that their term for the American backyard is garden. I believe the Aussies use the word "lounge" for living room, if I'm not mistaken. 

Yeah, I've not traveled outside North America, but between HHI, YouTube videos pertaining to differences between countries and geography, and the Acorn shows that I watch, I've learned a lot of lingo of some of the Commonwealth nations. I would consider it a major coup if I were to go to Australia and manage not use the word "shrimp". 

[Notabug]

6 hours ago, aghst said:

Garden in the English sense meaning a yard in a house.

He talked about it for the kids.

I got the impression he was using the word garden in the British sense, too.  He talked about playing with his father in their large yard as a kid and doing the same with his own chlldren.

Brits call the living room the lounge, too.

Edited August 6, 2023 by Notabug

[Chicken Fingers]

Former military kid perspective: I saw the military dad in the UK attempting to use the British terms for things (garden=backyard), and he also seemed to be having fun with putting an English spin on his general tone in speaking. 

I grew up as a military kid living in other countries, and we were given pamphlets when we'd be moving, with tips on local customs, language, etiquette, etc. We were strongly encouraged to show respect and be good guests in our host countries.

Some service members and families really took to living abroad, while others never did, and it was about individual personalities and their comfort zones, for the most part, rather than a case of either showing off or being ignorant.

[Notabug]

1 minute ago, Chicken Fingers said:

Former military kid perspective: I saw the military dad in the UK attempting to use the British terms for things (garden=backyard), and he also seemed to be having fun with putting an English spin on his general tone in speaking. 

I grew up as a military kid living in other countries, and we were given pamphlets when we'd be moving, with tips on local customs, language, etiquette, etc. We were strongly encouraged to show respect and be good guests in our host countries.

Some service members and families really took to living abroad, while others never did, and it was about individual personalities and their comfort zones, for the most part, rather than a case of either showing off or being ignorant.

I think it is also important to be on the same page as the realtor who is helping you find a home.  If the word 'garden' is the term that best describes what the househunter is looking for in her vernacular, then go with it.  I never got the impression that the realtor was confused about what he wanted and I think it was due in part to his using terminology most familiar to her.

[aghst]

13 minutes ago, Chicken Fingers said:

Former military kid perspective: I saw the military dad in the UK attempting to use the British terms for things (garden=backyard), and he also seemed to be having fun with putting an English spin on his general tone in speaking. 

It's something a lot of Americans do, try to adopt Anglicisms or even affect a British accent like Madonna.

Some Americans will say they will "ring" someone when they're in England or just after returning from a trip to the UK.

They will also pepper in "massive," "wanker," and pronounce the word schedule  as SHED DUEL, like a wanker trying too hard to fit in.😊

16 minutes ago, Notabug said:

I think it is also important to be on the same page as the realtor who is helping you find a home.  If the word 'garden' is the term that best describes what the househunter is looking for in her vernacular, then go with it.  I never got the impression that the realtor was confused about what he wanted and I think it was due in part to his using terminology most familiar to her.

In fact he may have been trying to flirt with Winnie the realtor.

He also tried to make some funny observations about the dreary English weather, as if to show that he was somewhat hip to some of the culture.

Such a wanker.

[Chit Chat]

50 minutes ago, Notabug said:

I got the impression he was using the word garden in the British sense, too. 

That's helpful info because in all of my years, we've never referred to the backyard as the garden! Where I'm from, you have a yard and if you so choose, you till up the ground and make a vegetable garden.  Of course, there are flower gardens too.   I really thought he meant that he wanted to plant a vegetable garden.  Wasn't that guy from the U.S.?  Maybe they refer to the yard as the garden in some states, but not here in the south! 

[Mediocre Gatsby]

I saw the Oklahoma to Gloucestershire move. I think they picked the right house although I agree about the suddenness of "we need money to travel!" and I also thought that the wife wanted things that were kind of contradictory - a lot of houses right around her, yet pubs and cafes walking distance away. Having things walking distance away is important, especially if she wasn't confident driving in England yet. My sister and her family lived in England for 2 years; my brother-in-law just took the train in to London and my sister was the one doing all the driving. It's mentally wearing. 

On their first weekend, my two young nephews were running around Stonehenge yelling "Is this where the Flintstones lived?" Damaging Anglo-American relations on practically their first day!

[ML89]

On 8/4/2023 at 1:18 AM, CalicoKitty said:

I use Opera, which is also a very neat and tidy browser.  It also has a great ad blocker.  I have it on my tool bar, and I never have to sign in.  I have used it for years with no problems. (I also do not like Safari.  Too much "stuff" on the screen.)

Thank you for this. Primetimer is a hot mess on mobile Safari and Opera seems to stop it. Hurray!

[Mediocre Gatsby]

On 8/2/2023 at 7:55 AM, cinsays said:

well, whatever the age difference, i feel bad for the presumed older working guy having to support the other guy's whims.  wonder if they are still together.

I'm nosy, so I googled. Justice has an Etsy shop and he says he's married and living in Spain. Ryan has LinkedIn that still says Bellevue, but maybe he doesn't update it or wants customers to think he's in the US for some reason. 

On 8/3/2023 at 7:09 PM, Chit Chat said:

I'm glad that the older guy pointed out how stressful it was going to be for him to pay for the more expensive home. 

Yeah, I was a bit bemused throughout this episode. Justice probably didn't contribute much of that sale price with his job as a caregiver and his NO JOB now. Not that he doesn't still get choices, but the way he kept saying "we can make it work" was offputting for me. And even for that expensive second house, he was talking about making changes that would cost more money. 

Ryan said that they went to Hawaii (I read: he took Justice to Hawaii) like the first day they met. They're definitely in a dynamic where he pays for everything. 

That was a beautiful location that I'd never heard of. 

Edited August 7, 2023 by Mediocre Gatsby

[Mediocre Gatsby]

I saw a circus performer moving to Puerta Vallarta. What a gorgeous place. I really liked the realtor, how he spoke about the buyer's grandmother giving him his dream. Usually I'm all for people spending less, but it seemed to me like the buyer was being penny wise and pound foolish by thinking he could pay extra for a place to do his massage therapy instead of paying more for an apartment where he could do it right there. 

The 2nd apartment seemed like the better location, but if I were his customer I wouldn't want to be on that public area patio. And who knows if people are even allowed to do business there?

[eel2178]

On 8/4/2023 at 10:06 AM, aghst said:

 not open plan (another requirement of the wife) 

The helicopter mom couldn't stand the idea of not being able to see the kids in the living room if she was in the kitchen. Give me a break!

On 8/4/2023 at 10:06 AM, aghst said:

I'm actually going to visit The Cotswolds next month

See if you can get into one of the classes at The Cotswold Perfumery. 

No classes were available when I was there, and I've always said I was going to go back to do it, but that has yet to happen.

[proserpina65]

On 8/4/2023 at 7:02 PM, Chit Chat said:

I liked the house they chose, but the backyard appeared to be all grass.  He's going to need a tiller in order to start a garden.  That's a lot of work plowing up the grass to cultivate an area for a garden.  It's nice that the kids have a backyard to play in though.  He has room for a garden, but it's going to take a bit of prep work to make it happen.  He might want to stick to container gardening.  :)

I didn't get the impression that he wanted to plant vegetables or things like that, just that he wanted a big yard.  Could be wrong, though, since I was mostly only half-listening.

On 8/4/2023 at 7:27 PM, aghst said:

Maybe in Oklahoma, parks aren't all that.

Depending on where you live in the US, parks can be really bare bones and not that fun.  Probably applies to parks in England, too.

[proserpina65]

On 8/5/2023 at 12:36 PM, Thumper said:

I couldn’t figure out if he meant he wanted a big garden/yard (British) or a garden/garden (U.S.).

I thought he meant garden in the British sense which equals yard or lawn space in the US.  Not a place to plant vegetables.

On 8/5/2023 at 3:55 PM, Bastet said:

So if that's the way it was being used (I didn't see it), he's just saying he wants a big yard.

That's what I assumed he meant.

On 8/5/2023 at 5:25 PM, mojito said:

Not showing off, just showing some knowledge and respect for the location. No way I'd throw around the word "yard" to showcase my ignorance/arrogance when I know better.

Yard is generally used to denote a paved area in Britain rather than an expanse of grass the way we use it here in the US.  The first time I watched an American on a show like HHI, he or she used the term yard and the British realtor reacted as if she'd been asked to find a house with a prison yard in the back.  It was actually pretty funny.

On 8/5/2023 at 8:59 PM, Chit Chat said:

That's helpful info because in all of my years, we've never referred to the backyard as the garden! Where I'm from, you have a yard and if you so choose, you till up the ground and make a vegetable garden.  Of course, there are flower gardens too.   I really thought he meant that he wanted to plant a vegetable garden.  Wasn't that guy from the U.S.?  Maybe they refer to the yard as the garden in some states, but not here in the south! 

He was using it in the British sense, probably because he was dealing with a British realtor and was trying to communicate in terms with which she was familiar.

16 hours ago, eel2178 said:

The helicopter mom couldn't stand the idea of not being able to see the kids in the living room if she was in the kitchen. Give me a break!

That's a theme on a lot of real estate shows.  Makes me nostalgic for my childhood when my mother rarely knew where I was in the summer.

 

[snarts]

Gloucestershire, England: the guy said he grew up on a working farm and enjoyed playing outside as a child, so he wanted his kids to have a large garden (yard).  

And, since he seemingly was aware that garden was the proper term, not surprised he'd use it in discussions with the realtor. Maybe, like me, he reads a lot of British mystery/thrillers and watches Love Island UK.

The boot is the trunk of the car and they refer to a curb as kerb. Oh, and a jumper is a sweater. Don't even get me started on fanny flutters :)

[chessiegal]

They also call sweaters jumpers in Australia. We had an Aussie visit us at work and when he said jumper, we were all - what?

[Grizzly]

Rotterdam, Netherlands. Floor is really cutting loose. She is so much more comfortable in front of the camera and is letting her personality shine. I like Martin. Until he picked the place that will be most difficult for Chop Chop. I wonder if Martin can carry him up and down the stairs?

[Mediocre Gatsby]

Okay, I need the snarky Rotterdam realtor to be on all the shows. She was great. I feel a little bad for poor Chop Chop not getting to use that rooftop terrace AND having to climb those steep stairs. I know that Perth Guy probably never saw House 3 before he signed a lease, but I would've taken that one and just used the small bedroom when my parents came to visit. 

[cinsays]

9 hours ago, Grizzly said:

Rotterdam, Netherlands. Floor is really cutting loose. She is so much more comfortable in front of the camera and is letting her personality shine. I like Martin. Until he picked the place that will be most difficult for Chop Chop. I wonder if Martin can carry him up and down the stairs?

love Floor! 

i would think the stairs would be kind of a problem for Martin, much less having to also carry the large dog.  I was shocked he picked that place.

5 hours ago, Mediocre Gatsby said:

Okay, I need the snarky Rotterdam realtor to be on all the shows. She was great. I feel a little bad for poor Chop Chop not getting to use that rooftop terrace AND having to climb those steep stairs. I know that Perth Guy probably never saw House 3 before he signed a lease, but I would've taken that one and just used the small bedroom when my parents came to visit. 

yeah and that bedroom really wasn't that small - it had a bed in it. what more do you need for occasional guests?

Edited August 9, 2023 by cinsays

[chessiegal]

I thought Floor was in fine form last night. She can snark with the best of them.

[TVForever]

6 hours ago, Mediocre Gatsby said:

Okay, I need the snarky Rotterdam realtor to be on all the shows. She was great. 

That's Floor. I like her too. She and Roz (the older blonde woman) seem to be the main Netherlands HHI realtors now. We don't seem to see the chirpy blonde American (I don't know why I can't remember her name right now-somebody help me out) as much. I've wondered where she's gotten to.

[proserpina65]

7 hours ago, Mediocre Gatsby said:

I feel a little bad for poor Chop Chop not getting to use that rooftop terrace AND having to climb those steep stairs.

I feel really sorry for the dog.  That second place is completely impractical for him.

 

[aghst]

1 hour ago, TVForever said:

That's Floor. I like her too. She and Roz (the older blonde woman) seem to be the main Netherlands HHI realtors now. We don't seem to see the chirpy blonde American (I don't know why I can't remember her name right now-somebody help me out) as much. I've wondered where she's gotten to.

Sarah.

Someone posted that she may be going back to The Netherlands?

But it's a small country so how many agents could they have and how many episodes could they base there?

I think you can get from the two most distant points in the country in a couple of hours.

Alas, I've only been to Amsterdam -- and Keukenhof.

Really have to see some other Dutch cities.

[Vivigirl10]

On 8/4/2023 at 7:49 PM, ArtFossil said:

I’m sorry they are getting married as I can see Justice murdering Bryan for his inheritance. 

The comments about Justice have not disappointed!!  From House Hunters to Dateline!

I cringe at the thought of him being a "caregiver".  I doubt he is an LPN (certainly not an RN).  If he was a CNA or in home health, I can't even imagine him doing the required duties for his patients.  Lots of bathing and tooshie wiping.  I would imagine he would be very "grossed out".  Lord have mercy.  I don't really see a heart for putting others first in that one. 

The large house that he was so enamored with had to have been a B & B or even something like a yoga or mental health retreat.  It had that industrial kitchen and all the dishes/serving wear and linens were on metal shelves hidden behind curtains.  It wasn't someone's home.  I did love the house that they bought.  

The Netherlands episode was an absolute hoot!!  I was cracking up at both of them.  So much fun.  But poor Chop Chop!!  He got a raw deal, poor guy!

[chessiegal]

I think I posted this before. I found a video where 2 guys who do a vlog were interviewing Floor about how she got the gig on HHI. She said she was looking for a job to help pay for law school and got a job in a real estate office doing clerical work, then moved into showing homes. A client was going to be on HHI and the rest was history. They asked her about there always being conflict about what people want. She replied it will always be the case because it was written into the script. She seemed to realize what she said and kind of backed off from it.

[Crashcourse]

Floor and Martin had me cracking up, especially doing the bed flops! 🤣

I wasn't worried about the dog.  He seemed to love Chop Chop, so he's probably managed to figure out how to handle his dog and get him up and down the stairs.  And besides, his needs are just as important as the dogs, so if he liked the place he chose, then good for him. 

Edited August 9, 2023 by Crashcourse

[Thumper]

The bed flop was funny, but also gross.  I would not want to stick my face/nose in some strange bed! 

[Mediocre Gatsby]

I didn't realize that the realtors were known to us. Very cool. 

[Orcinus orca]

3 hours ago, Thumper said:

The bed flop was funny, but also gross.  I would not want to stick my face/nose in some strange bed! 

Wasn't that the one he chose?  If so, that was already his home and his bed he was burying his nose in.

[Pine]

In the Seattle to Spain.  That kind of creepy place with the swim/spa, looked like it was some kind of spa or therapy place, not a home.    

[Chit Chat]

40 minutes ago, Orcinus orca said:

Wasn't that the one he chose?  If so, that was already his home and his bed he was burying his nose in.

I think he flopped down in 2 different beds.  Ick!  Wasn't the place he chose a bigger apartment?  If so, at least there's more room for Chop Chop to roam around in.  I'm sure he takes him for plenty of walks.  There are lots of folks out there who have dogs in small apartments with no yards and they seem to make it work.  

[sskrill]

On 8/5/2023 at 5:59 PM, Chit Chat said:

That's helpful info because in all of my years, we've never referred to the backyard as the garden! Where I'm from, you have a yard and if you so choose, you till up the ground and make a vegetable garden.  Of course, there are flower gardens too.   I really thought he meant that he wanted to plant a vegetable garden. 

In 1975 my parents moved their Jersey girl to Dublin, Ireland, and let me tell you the argument I had with a neighbor boy over this very thing.  We made such a ruckus my father came from the back of the house to break it up.  He tried to make peace saying it could be called either, but the boy made some snide comment about The Americans and my father dismissed him.

21 Shielmartin Road, Sutton, looking at google maps now, and I remember the YARD being much bigger as two 6 year olds screamed at each other across it.

At the end of the street is the former Jameson (whisky) estate now known as Sutton Castle. I believe it was a hotel when we lived there, but is now condos.  I remember being terrified of that place, as my only real reference to castles was Dracula.  And I'm sure my older brother told me false stories of horrifying goings on up there.

I went to Sutton Park School at the other end of the street which was a boarding school which my little American brain could not comprehend at all.  And I'm reasonably certain my brother would tell me my parents were going to abandon me there.  (Is now a good time to mention he and I rarely speak?)

Anyway, its funny to me that Irish adults are so friendly and congenial, because Irish children were anything but.

But I suppose American children are probably just as bad.

[cinsays]

14 hours ago, Chit Chat said:

I think he flopped down in 2 different beds.  Ick!  Wasn't the place he chose a bigger apartment?  If so, at least there's more room for Chop Chop to roam around in.  I'm sure he takes him for plenty of walks.  There are lots of folks out there who have dogs in small apartments with no yards and they seem to make it work.  

i don't think the concern about the dog was so much the yard but the really steep stairs

[Mediocre Gatsby]

1 hour ago, cinsays said:

i don't think the concern about the dog was so much the yard but the really steep stairs

Yes, I was worried about the steep stairs going up to the apartment. 

[Jodithgrace]

What interested me was that guy he seemed to be on a date with. I swear, the guy was his clone! They showed them together in the first segment, and I assumed it was going to be about two brothers, but it was just the one guy. Later, they showed the two climbing some tall building, and I just wondered if he just dates guys who look exactly like himself. 

 

 

[Chit Chat]

On 8/9/2023 at 1:36 PM, Crashcourse said:

He seemed to love Chop Chop, so he's probably managed to figure out how to handle his dog and get him up and down the stairs.

I don't think the guy liked the stairs either.  He said he probably wouldn't go up onto the roof top because of the stairs.  Chop Chop would probably like it if he could get up there somehow!

[DanaMB]

On 8/9/2023 at 7:06 PM, Orcinus orca said:

Wasn't that the one he chose?  If so, that was already his home and his bed he was burying his nose in.

I just watched it. He flopped in all three. 

[Grizzly]

Stirling, Scotland.  Gorgeous episode. I didn't even care about the houses. I just wanted to see the scenery. It would have been an excellent episode if she had shut up about the carpet! Teach your cats how to use a litter box.

Darmstadt, Germany. I wasn't going to stay up to watch this one but I noticed Kevin. And I just wanted to say Todd sounds like Penn Jillette.

[buttersister]

Quote

Teach your cats how to use a litter box.

This—1,000 times. 

Less carpet complaints, more scenery. Can’t remember what Stephanie said, but the realtor got off a good one at all her carping. Like I was doing with her inane comments (Stirling was authentically Scottish?!).

Husband wasn’t a convincing actor—no way was he not working, or have something lined up.

Hope this means that there’ll be more episodes in Scotland!

[Bastet]

3 hours ago, Grizzly said:

Teach your cats how to use a litter box.

Cats even as kittens are quite instinctively drawn to one, far easier than teaching a dog to signal when she/he needs to go out.  I didn't see the episode; was there some medical or even behavioral issue at play explaining the worry about carpet soiling?

[proserpina65]

On 8/9/2023 at 7:48 PM, Chit Chat said:

I think he flopped down in 2 different beds.  Ick!  Wasn't the place he chose a bigger apartment?  If so, at least there's more room for Chop Chop to roam around in.  I'm sure he takes him for plenty of walks.  There are lots of folks out there who have dogs in small apartments with no yards and they seem to make it work.  

I know I'm basing this on what he said in the show, but he did express concern for the dog regarding all those steep stairs.  Which was what I mean by feeling sorry for the dog.  (I realize this show is fake as hell, though.)

 

9 hours ago, buttersister said:

Stirling was authentically Scottish?!

She's not wrong there, but yeah, it sounds stupid.  Everywhere in Scotland is authentically Scottish.  Because it's Scotland, you idiot.  (The HHer, not the commenter.)

[seacliffsal]

So, the Perth to Rotterdam guy lied to us the entire time as he stated numerous times that his dog was the most important part of his decision.  Until it wasn't.  Yes, I get that the producers think we want conflict/issues, but why are so many people willing to make fools of themselves for not even 15 minutes of fame?  Why state how important your dog is when you know you have picked the place that was absolutely the worst for the dog in terms of all of the stairs?  And, any time he goes upstairs to the rooftop terrace his dog will be sad that he can't go up there as well.  Apparently this is going to be an overall negative post, so I will just add-I don't see all of this Australian charisma that he was talking about.  He seemed nice, but not especially charismatic.  Oh, and I didn't like the falls on the beds, or the fact that he had his shoes on the sofa in one of the options.

The Stirling episode would have been so much more enjoyable if the wife hadn't made so many negative comments about carpets.  And then to laughingly state that they have already used 2 cans of carpet cleaner?  There's nothing funny about not training animals.  And, there's no excuse to not have litter boxes (and keep them clean).  There's no way they should have to be cleaning the carpets that often.  They will never be able to get rid of the smell of the cat urine.  The landlords will have to replace the carpet (and maybe the subflooring) after they leave.  But, I did like seeing Stirling and I have been to Stirling Castle.

[aghst]

9 hours ago, buttersister said:

This—1,000 times. 

Less carpet complaints, more scenery. Can’t remember what Stephanie said, but the realtor got off a good one at all her carping. Like I was doing with her inane comments (Stirling was authentically Scottish?!).

Husband wasn’t a convincing actor—no way was he not working, or have something lined up.

Hope this means that there’ll be more episodes in Scotland!

She's had those cats for awhile it sounded like.

Yeah I didn't think work would be a problem for him either.

Seems like they chose Stirling for the cost.  It's between Edinburgh and Glasgow and unless they really wanted to get away from the big city after Boston, the main advantage of living there would be lower costs.

He talked a lot about the outdoors but sounds like she had little interest in hiking with him.

[Pi237]

Just a general complaint-They All go on and on about wanting “authentic charm,” then complain the rooms are too small or need updating. so Annoying. 
 

Stirling Scotland & surrounding areas were so pretty! Loved it there 

Just now, Pi237 said:

 

Edited August 11, 2023 by Pi237

[Orcinus orca]

32 minutes ago, seacliffsal said:

Apparently this is going to be an overall negative post, so I will just add-I don't see all of this Australian charisma that he was talking about.  He seemed nice, but not especially charismatic. 

That was a head scratcher for me as well. I thought he came across as an idiot most of the time.  I had to turn it off.