House Hunters International - General Discussion

[chessiegal]

Is she the one who took her shoes off before she got in the tub (her feet were bare when she got in the tub)? I'd never seen that before.

[Mediocre Gatsby]

36 minutes ago, chessiegal said:

Is she the one who took her shoes off before she got in the tub (her feet were bare when she got in the tub)? I'd never seen that before.

Ah, I don't remember. I figured they'd chosen that place, so I kind of let it go. But in the next one she had bare feet for trying out the bed. 

[Chit Chat]

No offense to anybody who lives in Iceland, but that is not a place I'd be uprooting my family to, mostly because of the cold temps and the days of all sunshine or barely any sunshine.  No thanks!  The city looked nice though.

That lady can say the move is for her kids all she wants to, but it's for her.  At least she compromised on the choice so the husband doesn't have to walk so far to work.  She also mentioned that she hoped that issues such as finding a doctor or hospital wouldn't be a problem.  That's why you find out about those things BEFORE you move!!  Ugh.

Again, almost every single episode features people who are, in many cases, willing to pay a lot of money per month, but it's never enough!  I thought that $2800/month was a hefty budget.  

[BAForever]

Got a strange vibe from Iceland family. Usually the after is like "best decision ever, we are so happy here." This family was not so much. Agree wife ran the show. 

[abbyzenn]

Yea the Icelandic wife did bug alot.  

Not sure why the husband kept bemoaning how far he'd have to walk to work - they do have buses in Iceland.  I took my daughter there for her 21st birthday (her choice of place).  One of the things we did was take a bus from one end of its route to the other end (all within Reykjavik.  When we got the bus in the middle of the route - when it got to the end we were in a neighborhood.  He looked at us like we were crazy (in a funny way) when we didn't get off - we told him we were just sightseeing from the bus.  Turns out we were in front of his house . He locked on us the bus and went into his house for 15 minutes or so and then came back and did the rest of the route.

Reykjavik is a pretty small city so it's not like that one place was out in the country.

I am surprised the boys were enrolled in an Icelandic school - would have liked to hear that was going since they didn't speak the language.  I don't think Icelandic would be easy to learn but then again when you're surrounded by it maybe it is easier to pick it up especially for kids.

They must not have much money worries considering all the travel they've been doing.

I do wonder how long they really planned on staying there.

Iceland is a beautiful and interesting place and I'd recommend anyone to visit.  When went in May and the weather was lovely.  The country uses geothermal or hydrothermal energy to heat their homes and businesses - you see the pipes running above ground out in the country.

[cinsays]

14 hours ago, Mediocre Gatsby said:

Even though I agree that living somewhere else even for a while, can give kids skills that they can use later in life, the woman was bugging the crap out of me. At least she went for the apartment that had the most of what they needed. I hope that she never really contemplated getting the second apartment where, for the sake of her convenience doing laundry, she would have made her husband walk an additional 40 minutes *every day*. 

Things I want to know: 

Is there no public transportation in Iceland? The husband's only choice was to walk to work?

Was there never even a thought of giving the biggest bedroom to the two boys who will share?

How did it work with one bedroom open to the whole apartment for most of the day (I did see pocket doors)?

This might be the first time I've seen a HHer sit in the tub and on the bed of two places that they didn't choose. 

ugh... i found her to be very smug, selfish and didn't really give a fig about what her husband wanted or needed.  he didn't seem happy in this relationship at all but i guess that's his choice. 

[Mediocre Gatsby]

14 hours ago, Chit Chat said:

No offense to anybody who lives in Iceland, but that is not a place I'd be uprooting my family to, mostly because of the cold temps and the days of all sunshine or barely any sunshine.  No thanks!  The city looked nice though.

She would've gone anywhere; she said she had looked in jobs for him in other places (I remember Japan specifically). 

2 hours ago, cinsays said:

ugh... i found her to be very smug, selfish and didn't really give a fig about what her husband wanted or needed.  he didn't seem happy in this relationship at all but i guess that's his choice. 

At one point they were talking about their differences, and she said "We don't always - " and I thought she was going to finish with "want the same things," or something like that, but she finished with "get along." It struck me so much that I'm still thinking about it a few days later. It seems like getting along should be kind of the minimum in a relationship. 

I'm trying not to armchair counsel this couple whom I saw on a tv show for a few minutes, but yikes. 

[proserpina65]

22 hours ago, snarts said:

Diversity refers to more than just race. I thought she was referencing cultural diversity, which living abroad anywhere definitely provides.

Maybe, I guess.  I found her pretty annoying, so I stopped listening to her at some point.

18 hours ago, Mediocre Gatsby said:

How did it work with one bedroom open to the whole apartment for most of the day (I did see pocket doors)?

I'm pretty sure there were pocket doors to close off that room.

[buttersister]

Excuse me, rerun of the Canadian singer —> English teacher in Thailand. I’m #TeamBanjo. The guy creeped me out a little. Just me?

ha, when I saw the Vitamix at the hostel I thought, wow, the landlord really stocked the kitchen! LOL, no I didn’t—dead giveaway he was living there.. 😂😂😂

[Mediocre Gatsby]

New Zealand newlyweds: I'd love to visit or live in New Zealand, so I really liked this. They definitely chose the right apartment. The guy hit it on the head, unintentionally, when he said that #1 would be like an extended honeymoon. They needed a long-term HOME instead. 

I'm envious! 

[Pine]

New Zealand newlyweds.  That husband was very odd to me.  He doesn't fit into my idea of someone I could take a long car ride with.   I know people with condos in big name hotels, and they love it. 

Did anyone notice his wife is from Boston, and her last name is Fitzgerald...any connection to the Kennedy's?  She did have some similarities....jmho of course.

[aghst]

Auckland husband my have been playing up the alternate choices, to make it appear like they or at least he was really interested in them.

He may have had a job all along or he expected to get one soon.

The wife could be sponsored by her employer or NZ is giving visas in certain fields.  Didn’t hear what kind of work he did and “logistics” seem pretty broad.

 

[Chit Chat]

14 hours ago, aghst said:

 Didn’t hear what kind of work he did and “logistics” seem pretty broad.

Must be a good job if they can afford $2500/month to rent! 

[Chit Chat]

18 hours ago, aghst said:

Auckland husband my have been playing up the alternate choices, to make it appear like they or at least he was really interested in them.

I agreed with him about not needing the double sinks.  Our house has double sinks in the master bathroom, but our vanity is rather small, so 1 sink would've been better.  I would rather have more counter space than 2 sinks.  Mr. Chat & I are rarely brushing our teeth at the same time. Oh well, that's how our house was remodeled before we bought it, and I don't want to spend more money undoing it!  YMMV. 

[aghst]

Some couples do use the bathrooms at the same time in the mornings.

There must be some demand for them or they wouldn't keep building or renovating homes that way.

Or they have additional bathrooms so they can just use both bathrooms at the same time.

But the Iceland episode showed that in some places a second bathroom was rare.

[Chit Chat]

4 hours ago, aghst said:

There must be some demand for them or they wouldn't keep building or renovating homes that way.

I just get a kick out of watching people go into these properties and check off the same boxes every single time:  Double sinks - check;  marble countertops - check;  no carpet - check;  huge kitchen because they're going to cook for mega crowds apparently - check!!  

I think double sinks look good on a wider vanity.  Two sinks on mine is overkill!  :)  

[ArtFossil]

Auckland! My university sent me there  for a conference and then I took the bus around the coast to Ninety Mile beach where I stayed for a few days. 

I’ve lived in/visited a LOT of beautiful places but that coast—ocean/tropical vegetation/mountains—is unforgettable. 

I was ready to immigrate after 24 hours but was too old (51). But I did keep something of the vitality of New Zealand in my life and work. 

Edited October 23, 2023 by ArtFossil

[proserpina65]

On 10/21/2023 at 1:33 PM, Chit Chat said:

Must be a good job if they can afford $2500/month to rent! 

I imagine most of that would be paid by her salary plus their savings.  His job is a bonus to help pay for the over-budget portion of the rent.  At least as presented on the show, which is probably not the case at all.

On 10/21/2023 at 5:26 PM, aghst said:

Some couples do use the bathrooms at the same time in the mornings.

There must be some demand for them or they wouldn't keep building or renovating homes that way.

Or they have additional bathrooms so they can just use both bathrooms at the same time.

But the Iceland episode showed that in some places a second bathroom was rare.

People have managed to figure out a bathroom schedule for many decades before builders started putting in double sinks and charging extra for them.  Which is why double sinks are so popular now, because the builders make more money on them; if there wasn't a good profit margin, houses and apartments would not have them to begin with.

 

[chessiegal]

If you're already putting in plumbing for one sink, adding a second one can't be that expensive. I had a house with 2 sinks in the main bathroom. There were times when we were going out that we were both using a sink. What I don't like when we stay in a hotel, there's only one toilet! We have 3 toilets on the first floor. Now that's convenience.

[StatisticalOutlier]

On 10/18/2023 at 8:17 AM, ECM1231 said:

Those Icelandic horses were beautiful and seemed significantly smaller/shorter than horses here in the U S.

This is one reason I watch this show.  The chyron said the horses have five gaits as opposed to the usual three, so Mr. Outlier and I, with our vast lack of knowledge about horses, had a long, satisfying, and ultimately inconclusive discussion about what the extra gaits might be.

I was satisfied with that, but he couldn't help himself and consulted Professor Internet and got the answer.  There's a video, and it looks a little funny because the horse is so little, but man is that rider smooth.

https://www.horsesoficeland.is/the-icelandic-horse-gaits

 

[Notabug]

11 minutes ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

This is one reason I watch this show.  The chyron said the horses have five gaits as opposed to the usual three, so Mr. Outlier and I, with our vast lack of knowledge about horses, had a long, satisfying, and ultimately inconclusive discussion about what the extra gaits might be.

I was satisfied with that, but he couldn't help himself and consulted Professor Internet and got the answer.  There's a video, and it looks a little funny because the horse is so little, but man is that rider smooth.

https://www.horsesoficeland.is/the-icelandic-horse-gaits

 

Thanks for that, what a gorgeous horse!  You're right, that rider is superb as was the scenery.

[ECM1231]

So freaking beautiful. Thanks, @StatisticalOutlier for the link. 

[Hedgehog2022]

On 10/19/2023 at 9:42 AM, cinsays said:

ugh... i found her to be very smug, selfish and didn't really give a fig about what her husband wanted or needed.  he didn't seem happy in this relationship at all but i guess that's his choice. 

She got on my last nerve...I've never been to Iceland but I did see the episode of Anthony Bourdain's last series when he went there. He was there in early winter and it was brutal. Pitch dark for almost the entirety of the day and bitter cold. Food was awful...a lot of fish. I had never seen Bourdain be so miserable doing a show. Why this woman chose Iceland without fully researching housing costs, etc... is beyond me. All European countries are expensive but Scandinavian countries are and have always been more costly than other European countries, with exception of Switzerland which has always been expensive.

And yeah...hubby seemed really unhappy. Afterall they made a huge decision to sell all their stuff and uproot the family because of some fantasy the wife had about living abroad. When I was 14 my Dad took a sabbatical leave and we moved to Geneva, Switzwerland for a year. He took a position at the World Health Organization for the year and my brother and myself were enrolled in schools there. I went to an English school since the American School in Geneva had no openings. My younger brother went to a Swiss school and it was brutal...he did not speak French and the kids bullied him relentlessly. There was another boy in his class who was also from another country and did not speak French and they became best friends..ironically, this other boy was Russian! He spoke some English and together they formed a bond that helped both of them stand up to the local kids and get through the school year.

It can be tough for kids to transition to a life outside of their native country. But more so for adults. My mom was lonely and bored for much of that year. She didn't speak French and met very few people outside of my Dad's colleagues. I was lucky and made a lot of friends at my school and had a great experience there. I actually had a harder time transitioning back to the U.S. and to high school here. 

Edited October 23, 2023 by Hedgehog2022

[proserpina65]

21 hours ago, Hedgehog2022 said:

He was there in early winter and it was brutal. Pitch dark for almost the entirety of the day and bitter cold. Food was awful...a lot of fish.

Yeah, Iceland looks beautiful . . . in the summer.

[Grizzly]

Maidstone, England. How to describe this couple, I've settled on fussy. Nothing seems to be good enough. And is Nick being sarcastic when referring to himself as fun? I didn't see anything wrong with #1 or #2. Why are they so worried about parking the car when Richard talks about how long it takes to walk everywhere? They seem like good parents.

[seacliffsal]

I so had to roll my eyes when in the first house, one of the ocuple complained that it wasn't open concept but when they went into the "open" kitchen and eating area he then complained about kids running through the kitchen as they would be in the eating area.  Which is it?  You want the kids with you or you want separated rooms?

I did like their family and they will be fine financially as soon as the lawyer gets licensed.  The kids seem happy and will have a wonderful time living there.  As soon as I saw the garden of the first house I thought they should choose that home for the dogs and the kids.

[aghst]

I don't understand the reason for the move.  The teacher found out he has English ancestry so that allowed him to move and work in England.  So they give up dual income, with the lawyer probably making a lot more?

So they have to downsize a family of 5 into 1 bathroom?

How easy is it for an American lawyer to get license in the UK?  Sure both countries have legal systems based on Common Law.  But all he needs is to study a bit and pass a licensing exam?  Or does he need a lot of time to re-train?

Plus, in the US, his job is based on having billable clients.  Maybe less entrepreneurial in the UK for lawyers but still, he's leaving a client base behind so where would he work?

One of them says something about kids having the experience abroad.  But it's not like other house hunters who talk up wanting their children to have an international perspective.

So it seems like the teacher guy really is driving this move and the lawyer is going along with it and of course the kids don't have much say.

None of the places is going to have enough room for them.  They complain that the places are too small.  Well when you have to downsize, you're going to have less space.

Then their dogs need backyard space because they don't want to have to walk them to a park all the time.

What happens if and when the lawyer gets his job.  Commute 40 miles every day by train?  Who takes care of the kids?  They will have to spend some of the lawyer's income for child care.

Financially it's questionable unless the teaching job offers something that teaching in Dallas couldn't provide.

[snarts]

@aghst brings up a lot of good points. For many of the international moves, I feel like we're only getting half the story.

I tend to think politics may be a driving force in their desire to move abroad, which obviously the show is loath to mention. Gay men raising what looked to be  a multi-cultural family in Texas where one of them is a teacher. Hmmm.

Finally, I'll say that not all attorneys have direct clients/billable hours and not all facets of the law are that dramatically different between the US & UK. For example, he might be corporate contract attorney.

 

[seacliffsal]

I think that most likely the lawyer will find a position with either a U.S. firm that has offices in the UK or a UK firm that deals with American clients.  

[abbyzenn]

Maidstone:  Yes House #1 was the best fit for them.  The outside of House #3 was so unappealing to me I wouldn't have even walked into it.

The teacher must save all his talking for in the classroom because he sure didn't say much on the show.  Except for the usual "charm" blather.

I do give them props for adopting 3 kids from foster care!

[Bastet]

6 hours ago, aghst said:

How easy is it for an American lawyer to get license in the UK?  Sure both countries have legal systems based on Common Law.  But all he needs is to study a bit and pass a licensing exam?  Or does he need a lot of time to re-train?

It depends; from the Bar's website:

Quote

If you are a qualified solicitor, qualified lawyer from another jurisdiction, or a legal academic and you wish to practise as a barrister in England and Wales, you need to transfer to the Bar. Depending on your qualifications and experience, you may be exempt from some or all of the requirements for training for the Bar. Some of these exemptions may be granted subject to passing academic and/or vocational component assessments as a Bar Transfer Test (BTT) candidate. During 2021-22 the BSB received 325 fully completed applications to transfer to the Bar of England and Wales of which 324 were successful. The qualifications and experience required of those who succeeded in transferring to the Bar are set out in detail below.

In order to be granted an exemption, you must submit an application to us which includes information on the qualifications and experience you have. The application forms and guidelines are available on our waivers, exemptions and applications page. We will look at your application and decide whether you may be exempted from some or all of the requirements for training for the Bar. If we decide that you should be exempted from some of the requirements, you may be required to complete assessments as a BTT candidate. We will tell you which assessments you will have to do based on your qualifications and experience.

If you have been given an exemption from some of the requirements, you may still be required to complete a period of pupillage or work-based learning before you are granted authorisation to practise as a barrister. If you are required to complete a period of pupillage or work-based learning as a transferring qualified lawyer, you may also be required to complete a new Professional Ethics assessment during your pupillage.

 

Edited October 25, 2023 by Bastet

[Chit Chat]

5 hours ago, abbyzenn said:

The outside of House #3 was so unappealing to me I wouldn't have even walked into it.

All 3 houses were unappealing to me.  They all looked bad from the outside to the inside.  YMMV. 

[buttersister]

Late to the Iceland party. Yikes. So did the Euro-starved wife chose Iceland for the airfares to Europe? I just checked for flights in Nov. from where they are to Barcelona for grins. Nothing available. In their first few months, they went to six countries? Sure.

I felt badly for the middle son, the one who locked himself in his room and refused to go. And they were moving to ICELAND for diversity? Where in Michigan did they live? (Rhetorical question, I can imagine.)

[ArtFossil]

On 10/24/2023 at 11:00 PM, Grizzly said:

Maidstone, England. How to describe this couple, I've settled on fussy. Nothing seems to be good enough. And is Nick being sarcastic when referring to himself as fun? I didn't see anything wrong with #1 or #2. Why are they so worried about parking the car when Richard talks about how long it takes to walk everywhere? They seem like good parents.

I loved this couple and found them both brave and generous to adopt three children out of foster care. I hope their family flourishes. 

[StatisticalOutlier]

I swear I didn't hear them say they adopted them from foster care.  One of them said something about being able to move to England once the adoptions were finalized; does that happen only in foster care adoptions?

[CalicoKitty]

I did hear them say they adopted from the foster system.  It was only mentioned once, I think, so I think a lot of people may have missed it.

[Grizzly]

Terrasini, Sicily. What a great location, so pretty. I like how quiet and supportive Guillermo is. Although the side eye when Jennifer said spending time with Henry was most important to her was funny. It would be a no brainer if Nonna's house was available. I would go with #2.

[chessiegal]

The only way I could share space with the woman in Sicily is long-distance part-time. I couldn't take her 24/7. Can you earn enough money helping people get their Italian citizenship to pay the bills?

[aghst]

The town is just south of the Palermo airport.

There are a lot of coastal towns along that western coast.

There are a few villages in Sicily offering those €1 homes, though you have to agree to invest a certain amount to renovate them.

But she wanted to be close to the coast and be more or less move-in ready.

 

[seacliffsal]

I am always put off when someone says they can go from 0 to 100 in a moment as if that was a good thing.  It sounds like she can be alot.  I thought her husband flinched a bit when she said the most important thing was her dog.  

Anyway, I liked all 3 and number 1 did have more of a balcony than they initially showed.  

[Chit Chat]

14 hours ago, Grizzly said:

Terrasini, Sicily. What a great location, so pretty.

Yay for a location that wasn't a hotspot for people moving to and was rather affordable!! It was nice to see the lady rather unfazed by how different the apartments were compared to what we're used to in the U.S.  I think she did her research in terms of what to expect (or so it seemed).   That town looked like a lovely place to live.  I love those older buildings. 

[proserpina65]

On 10/25/2023 at 8:21 PM, Chit Chat said:

All 3 houses were unappealing to me.  They all looked bad from the outside to the inside.  YMMV. 

I liked the first two well enough, even if neither was my dream house in England.  They were pretty typical conversions of working class houses in the area.  The last one was a bit bland on the outside, and it definitely was the worst, layout-wise.  The first one was the only real choice because of the garden space for the dogs.  And at least it had a half-bath.

16 hours ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

I swear I didn't hear them say they adopted them from foster care.  One of them said something about being able to move to England once the adoptions were finalized; does that happen only in foster care adoptions?

That's not unique to adoptions from foster care.  You really can't move until any adoption has been finalized.

17 hours ago, ArtFossil said:

I loved this couple and found them both brave and generous to adopt three children out of foster care. I hope their family flourishes. 

I like that they adopted children who might not have had a permanent family otherwise, but the lawyer was fussy and annoying to me.  The teacher was better.

[Crashcourse]

3 hours ago, seacliffsal said:

I am always put off when someone says they can go from 0 to 100 in a moment as if that was a good thing.  It sounds like she can be alot.  I thought her husband flinched a bit when she said the most important thing was her dog.  

Anyway, I liked all 3 and number 1 did have more of a balcony than they initially showed.  

He looked like he wanted to run.  Fast.

 

[Kimboweena]

34 minutes ago, proserpina65 said:

The first one was the only real choice because of the garden space for the dogs.  And at least it had a half-bath.

I read these lines too fast or was distracted.  Thought it said garden "tub" for the dogs.  Hey, a tub is nice to have for washing dogs. :)

[StatisticalOutlier]

16 hours ago, CalicoKitty said:

I did hear them say they adopted from the foster system.  It was only mentioned once, I think, so I think a lot of people may have missed it.

Aah, right you are.  It was when they were looking at some castle.  I did hear something about a dragon, but not the foster system part. 

But re-watching it reminded me that the one guy said he would make the bathroom next to the kitchen off limits while he's preparing dinner.  Maybe I'm unusually careful in my bathroom habits, but I just don't get it.  What's going to fly out of the bathroom and turn the corner and get on the food?

[chessiegal]

10 minutes ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

What's going to fly out of the bathroom and turn the corner and get on the food?

I'm right there with you on that. All these flying microbes!

[Chit Chat]

3 hours ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

But re-watching it reminded me that the one guy said he would make the bathroom next to the kitchen off limits while he's preparing dinner. 

I think it bothered him that you could see the toilet from the kitchen.  Maybe it's whatever smells that might emanate from there while he's trying to cook that grossed him out too!!  I would prefer that a bathroom that isn't accessible from the kitchen either!  ;)

[Mediocre Gatsby]

I've never been fond of the houses they show where the bathroom is right off the kitchen. 

Sicily: I figured she had taken the first house when the realtor raved about the wraparound terrace and then they didn't show it at all until the reveal. I assumed the buyer already had stuff out there. 

This was another interesting place for me. I might have gone for #3 depending on how close it was to the downtown - that terrace was amazing and if she continues to spend 2 months a year with her kids in the United States, I thought that that terrace might make a very attractive feature for renting out the apartment while she's gone. But then really, any of them would probably do that. 

Edited October 27, 2023 by Mediocre Gatsby

[proserpina65]

On 10/27/2023 at 6:19 PM, Chit Chat said:

I think it bothered him that you could see the toilet from the kitchen.  Maybe it's whatever smells that might emanate from there while he's trying to cook that grossed him out too!!  I would prefer that a bathroom that isn't accessible from the kitchen either!  ;)

As long as there's ventilation to the outside (preferably via a vent fan), it shouldn't be a problem.  I mean, it's not ideal, but most people adding a bathroom have to put it where there's space and access to water pipes.

The woman HHer in Sicily was a bit much, but I loved the earrings she was wearing in most of her talking heads.

[Grizzly]

Matarrana, Spain. That's a horrible top Krystal is wearing in their talking head. They have something very specific they are looking for. If this isn't horse country, they are not going to have a lot to choose from. Of course they are taking the place that already has an arena. Wonder how much it's going to cost to build a house.