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House Hunters International - General Discussion


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On 1/24/2025 at 8:43 AM, proserpina65 said:

It was the best choice for her. 

I thought so too.  The third home had terrible views!  It felt like a big box with a few windows in which you can see the building next door.  I have to have windows and a view!  I was afraid that her friend was going to talk her into that one.  I'm glad she went with her gut and bought the one that she knew was best, not what her friend wanted. 

Maybe the renovations won't be as bad as her friend kept suggesting they'd be!  The town where the third home was looked really nice.  That whole area was pretty.  

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Boblingen, Germany. I don't mind Hunter's Hawaiian shirts, it's the shorts that I can't stand to look at. Poor Kevin doesn't evaluate apartments based on if there's room for a stripper pole. It actually looked like he was blushing. When Dee complained about who would clean #2, Hunter said she was great at cleaning and to not sell herself short. I snorted. Really liked Duke but did they give him a man bun?

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Christchurch, New Zealand: young newly married couple from Omaha, NE. Grew up traveling in a singing/dancing group & wanted to move abroad. Chose Christchurch sight unseen. He landed a job but she was still looking or waiting for visa approval. She wants to be close to the beach & they want to get a dog.

Initially were going to rent, budget $1400. First choice is a tiny place for $1600 with no backyard for the dog & far from the beach.  Then decided to buy with $475K budget. Option two is a smallish ranch $20k under budget 10 minutes from the beach. Option three is a larger newer build for $485k that's within walking distance.

They chose #3. She got a job at an accounting firm. They got a dog & shared that they were expecting (which was obvious if you watched the episode, the long coat wasn't fooling anyone). 

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4 hours ago, snarts said:

Christchurch, New Zealand: young newly married couple from Omaha, NE. Grew up traveling in a singing/dancing group & wanted to move abroad. Chose Christchurch sight unseen. He landed a job but she was still looking or waiting for visa approval. She wants to be close to the beach & they want to get a dog.

Initially were going to rent, budget $1400. First choice is a tiny place for $1600 with no backyard for the dog & far from the beach.  Then decided to buy with $475K budget. Option two is a smallish ranch $20k under budget 10 minutes from the beach. Option three is a larger newer build for $485k that's within walking distance.

They chose #3. She got a job at an accounting firm. They got a dog & shared that they were expecting (which was obvious if you watched the episode, the long coat wasn't fooling anyone). 

I thought they should've gotten house #2, but that's probably because it was the one I liked the most.  I didn't like #3 at all, other than the proximity of the beach.  And they got a pug, so how much yard did they really need?

I have to say, they annoyed me, especially her.  She acted like she was just the most special thing ever.  And who the hell choses to move to a country they've never visited and clearly know nothing about?

 

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17 hours ago, Grizzly said:

Boblingen, Germany. I don't mind Hunter's Hawaiian shirts, it's the shorts that I can't stand to look at. Poor Kevin doesn't evaluate apartments based on if there's room for a stripper pole. It actually looked like he was blushing. When Dee complained about who would clean #2, Hunter said she was great at cleaning and to not sell herself short. I snorted. Really liked Duke but did they give him a man bun?

 

Kevin was talking like it would be no big deal to install the pole or to reconfigure some of the rooms, like remove closets to install the pole.  This is on rentals.

Meanwhile, in the NZ episode, the house hunters decide they have to buy rather than rent so that they can make changes to the homes if they want.

The husband didn't say he'd help her clean though did he?  Or pay for help to clean?  That's also a big yard for their dog but they have to maintain it.

She's moving to Germany but has a job in CA. Whatever happened to one house hunter recognizing the greater sacrifice and making concessions?

 

 

8 hours ago, snarts said:

Christchurch, New Zealand: young newly married couple from Omaha, NE. Grew up traveling in a singing/dancing group & wanted to move abroad. Chose Christchurch sight unseen. He landed a job but she was still looking or waiting for visa approval. She wants to be close to the beach & they want to get a dog.

Initially were going to rent, budget $1400. First choice is a tiny place for $1600 with no backyard for the dog & far from the beach.  Then decided to buy with $475K budget. Option two is a smallish ranch $20k under budget 10 minutes from the beach. Option three is a larger newer build for $485k that's within walking distance.

They chose #3. She got a job at an accounting firm. They got a dog & shared that they were expecting (which was obvious if you watched the episode, the long coat wasn't fooling anyone). 

Yeah they wanted a 4 bedroom for $1600.  They're not in Kansas any more, or Nebraska.

They didn't say if they were going to have a car.  Strange, they said it was great to be near family in the first year of marriage.  But they just decide to move?

Maybe the husband's job really paid well that they were willing to sell their home -- unlikely they bought a home on doing theater unless they had some really successful play that ran for years.

I understand the argument about rent vs. mortgage, building equity with the latter.  However, is that true in NZ as well?  Do they have tax advantages for homeowners like writing off mortgage interest on taxes?  Can they even get a mortgage in NZ as newcomers?  They have to really know that market, whether they would expect their home to go up in value or at least retain the same value as when they buy it.  I would hope they researched all this rather than make a spur of the moment decision to buy.

I guess the commute wasn't that bad and they chose the one closest to the beach.  For me, I prefer Lyttleton Harbour for the water views (which they did show briefly as an example of where they go hiking) but there aren't any beaches there.  But the commute might be tougher, especially the area around Diamond Harbour.  Probably more expensive homes as well.

 

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On 1/28/2025 at 11:01 PM, Grizzly said:

Boblingen, Germany. I don't mind Hunter's Hawaiian shirts, it's the shorts that I can't stand to look at.

The shorts would've been fine at Venice Beach or Santa Monica.  They and the shirts and everything the wife was wearing were wildly inappropriate for Germany.  Talk about ugly Americans.  They were both annoying.  Poor Kevin.

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TN to Liverpool - Ryan and Katherine Hewitt, a young couple with two young daughters, at least one of them a toddler.  They are recently debt free so they decided to move.  The husband grew up in England and fondly remembers spending time with his grandfather in a specific part of Liverpool.

He's found a job and now, the wife who had worked in some kind of public service to discharge her college loan debt will stay at home for now.

So they are feeling good about their finances, as they will buy a home rather than rent.  Nostalgia is powerful but the wife who grew up in America must want to stop working, just take care of her daughters?

They want 3 bedrooms, 1.5 baths and at least an office space.  They want it in a specific neighborhood, for $400k.

The agent Owen Jones -- Richard didn't come up from London -- appears to be a local.  The husband and the agent talk about unique speech patterns in Liverpool and then as they go see each home, they relate it to a Beatles lyrics.

Katherine wants move in ready but Ryan will reno to save money.

House 1, "Let it be," is move in ready, $410k   Katherine loves it but Ryan remarks on the price and the fact that it's close but not in Woolton Village, his preferred neighborhood.

House 2 is also set up to move in ready but is even farther from Woolton Village.  "Long and Winding Road."  Katherine doesn't like it, doesn't feel English.

House 3 is "All you need is love" because it's in need of heavy renovation.  It's $340k and it's in Woolton Village.  Katherine is worried about the renovation work needed.

They eliminate House 2, it's not particularly English enough.

While the wife likes House 1, Ryan promises to really make sure the renovation is done well and she agrees to House 3.

Three months later, they say things are going well, though they've only talked to an architect, no actual renovation seems to have taken place.

 

 

  • Like 5

Jordan and Syrona are a young couple who met in Manchester and have been traveling together for 4 years.

Jordan researched places where they could move to and found Perez Zeledon, a Costa Rican mountain village far removed from all he tourist hotspots.

He found that CR offered digit nomad visas with zero taxes and chose Perez Zeledon for the low housing costs.  He doesn't speak Spanish but Syrona does.

They want to buy a 2 bedroom 1 bath home for $90k.  They want an office space since they will both be working at home.  Syrona wants modern amenities like flushable toilets and running hot water.  She also wants to be walkable to shops and restaurants.  Also room for 2 cats.

Agent Faith believes their budget isn't enough.

House 1 is a new construction in the mountains for $100k.  Faith tells them more than once that it's new construction when they point out things it lacks from their wish lists, like being close to shops.

It has flushable toilets.

House 2 is $60k and it's like sheds with gaps in the roof line to the outside, so likely to leak and let in jungle insects.  Toilets can't be flushed and the kitchen only has a camping stove, though some appliances.

They immediately eliminate House 2.

House 3 is $80k but still doesn't have flushable toilets.  It's close to town but Syrona is concerned about the bars and the chicken wire -- prison chic.

Jordan pushes for House 3, points out that he gave up his 6-figure tech job and finances are a big concern.  Syrona points out that House 1 has AC and has flushable toilet.

They agree that they will find ways to save money in other areas and go for House 3, which would also be more suitable for raising children.

Three months later, they're happy with the choice, in the middle of the Costa Rican jungle.

 

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15 minutes ago, chessiegal said:

I thought they said the toilets flushed, but that if the sewer pipes were too small, you couldn't flush toilet paper down them. So, what do you do with the toilet paper - put it in the trash, bury it?

Put it in the trash.  Many countries in South and Central America have plumbing that cannot handle toilet paper.  There's usually a covered bin next to the toilet for used TP.

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Only time I've encountered problem flushing was in Greece.  Turns out that after WWII, British engineers built up a lot of the infrastructure in that country, especially the islands.  But they used a narrower gauge piping for the sewers so you can't flush papers down the toilet.

The only other restriction I've faced in an industrialized country was in Amsterdam, where there were some homes below the water level and they asked you not to flush like wipes.

It makes sense that in the jungles of South America, they don't have modernized infrastructure.  Jordan said that if you see a toilet back up because you flushed papers down in, it's a traumatizing experience -- I forget the exact adjective he used but it was the same sense.

The agent said that the only way an area gets good enough sewer infrastructure is if a rich American pays for it.

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Public school PreK teacher here. My site often gets newly-arrived families from Latin America and Mexico. I sometimes find used tp in bathroom trash that's from these kiddoes. I glove, bag it up in the red bag and remove. I tell them it's ok to flush it and even have a picture poster on the bathroom door showing it's ok to flush. Takes a while, but they figure it out.

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My DVR recorded two episodes based in Australia as a new hour block.

First one was two young women from Toronto whom I recognized from before.  They shop for an apartment together near Melbourne.

Second one, I don't recall seeing,  a man and a woman who are described as best friends, moving from Chicago to the Blue Mountains area, an hour west of Sydney.

They want to open some energy healing business and they want a 2 bedroom home for $1400.  Woman wants a gas stove.

The first home they see, there's a big tree out in front and both of them go up to the trunk of the tree and commune with it, like put both hands and the front of their bodies up against the tree.

The agent tells them lets go look at the house, you can do that later.

They want to be near the town of Katoomba, which is where all the tourists come to see the Three Sisters and other expansive views.

They do choose a cottage but no sign that their energy healing business has ever taken off.

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The producers made the Toronto best friends say way too many times that moving in together could ruin their friendship. Must have said it before & after Every single commercial break. geez, Stop trying so hard for drama, show.

Yet, for the Blue Mountain friends, they were so positive about how they support and encourage each other. Its an interesting dynamic. I wonder how a significant other would change their friendship. They seemed like a couple, but probably just because they complimented each other well. 

Lol @ Stacy saying, "I could make it more homely" lol obviously, meant homey, but that was funny.  Some beautiful views there, gorgeous mountains. Kind of ugly interiors for options though.  

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On 2/6/2025 at 3:06 AM, aghst said:

While the wife likes House 1, Ryan promises to really make sure the renovation is done well and she agrees to House 3.

Three months later, they say things are going well, though they've only talked to an architect, no actual renovation seems to have taken place.

I think they picked the wrong house, and his insistence that it had to be in Woolton Village annoyed the fuck out of me.  Right up there with "It must be in the Marais!!!" when two neighborhoods away means more house for less money.

Plus, the Beatles crap - UGH!

 

On 2/6/2025 at 1:10 PM, Notabug said:

Put it in the trash.  Many countries in South and Central America have plumbing that cannot handle toilet paper.  There's usually a covered bin next to the toilet for used TP.

When I was in Greece in the 90s, there were places in Crete, Naxos and Athens(!) where you had to do this for the same reason.

On 2/6/2025 at 8:26 PM, aghst said:

The only other restriction I've faced in an industrialized country was in Amsterdam, where there were some homes below the water level and they asked you not to flush like wipes.

Lots of places in the US don't want you to flush wipes and feminine hygeine products because, despite what it says on the labels, they're actually not biodegradable.

51 minutes ago, ECM1231 said:

And I could understand if she misspoke, but she said it twice! Lol

In some places (Britain, for example) homely is what Americans mean by homey.  Takes some getting used to.

There was a German one I saw over the weekend, a single mother & her tween-ish son moving from the West Coast.  She drove me crazy with her yammering about her "queendom" and giving Kevin hell for showing her apartments she could afford rather than houses she couldn't.

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10 hours ago, Pi237 said:

Lol @ Stacy saying, "I could make it more homely" lol obviously, meant homey, but that was funny.  Some beautiful views there, gorgeous mountains. Kind of ugly interiors for options though.  

Haven't watched this yet. If she was from Britain, they use "homely" as we in America use "homey". Always startling to watch  Escape to the Country and hearing that verbage to describe a house.

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(edited)

Ugh! I haven’t watched the second episode that was on last night, but apparently they are both in the same place in Thailand, which means that both of them are probably commercials for The White Lotus. Even if I liked that show, which I do not, I would resent the blatant advertising. 
 

White Lotus pandering aside, I liked all three houses and would have chosen the beachfront one myself, but I can understand their reasoning. 
 

It seems odd to me, that living in Shanghai and Singapore for all those years, they would have even seen TWL. How much US tv would they have access to? They were probably paid to be “super fans.”  Ugh!

Edited to add that the second episode was mercifully White Lotus free, even though it was the same place. 
 

Yoga guy looking for privacy and a sea view had to give up the view because of price. He got the privacy he wanted and seemed happy with his choice. His therapy business seemed to be doing well. 

Edited by Jodithgrace
  • Like 3

I think HBO shows are distributed worldwide now, with streaming.

Or if they have VPN, they can stream directly from overseas.

Yeah the  WL couple gave up beachfront.  They at least invested  in their home in Thailand.  They must be confident about starting their own business.

The yoga guy, maybe he also had his business set up by the time he filmed the show.  In the end, budget and privacy trumped sea views.

It's interesting they claimed that tourism increased to Koh Samui by 30% just on the hype about the show, which isn't airing until this Sunday.

I watched what said it was a new episode (called something like Love in Brisbane and Amsterdam) and was surprised that there aren't any comments about it.  I fast forwarded thru the Brisbane (the guy was really annoying and Brisbane isn't of interest to me) so only really watched the Amsterdam portion although I can't stand Sarah but I do like looking at Amsterdam.  It was a woman, 42, looking for a husband in Amsterdam. 

After watching it I googled the woman and found the show was actually from 2024 and was discussed here then.  But I'll give an update - the woman is Tara Reid's sister.  She quit her job in NYC and said she was into plants as medicinal healing and wanted to study that.   So she's no longer in Amsterdam but did study there and is now a "certified psychedelics facilitator."

I hope this type of thing - packaging 2 older shows with a theme - doesn't become a thing.  

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43 minutes ago, abbyzenn said:

I watched what said it was a new episode (called something like Love in Brisbane and Amsterdam) and was surprised that there aren't any comments about it.  I fast forwarded thru the Brisbane (the guy was really annoying and Brisbane isn't of interest to me) so only really watched the Amsterdam portion although I can't stand Sarah but I do like looking at Amsterdam.  It was a woman, 42, looking for a husband in Amsterdam. 

After watching it I googled the woman and found the show was actually from 2024 and was discussed here then.  But I'll give an update - the woman is Tara Reid's sister.  She quit her job in NYC and said she was into plants as medicinal healing and wanted to study that.   So she's no longer in Amsterdam but did study there and is now a "certified psychedelics facilitator."

I hope this type of thing - packaging 2 older shows with a theme - doesn't become a thing.  

 

19 minutes ago, chessiegal said:

Too late. They've been doing it for months.

I haven't checked them out but it sounds like two older shows that they packaged for Valentines Day.

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My DVR recorded them as new, but probably because of the format. I don’t like these portmanteau episodes because I like to watch one while I’m eating lunch and one while I’m eating dinner. Yes, I did half and half, but the commercial breaks in the second half are always weird. 
And I like foreign housing not romance. I couldn’t care less about mixing matchmaking with real estate. It was funny that in both halves, it was the “realtor” who kept pushing the romance angle, not the client. 
The  Amsterdam woman was looking to find a man and have a baby, but was already 42? Well, good luck with that.

  • Like 3
11 hours ago, surfgirl said:

Chicago to Amsterdam: He has no job, she does. She wants outside city center, he wants in. City center apartment was gorgeous but $30k over budget, took the quiet flat 10 minute bike ride from city center. I am jealous.

Kind of a fake out, she was willing to spend more for the city center place which he kept saying - hustle and bustle.

Then he said no let's go for the lower-priced place.

He had found a job, so the budget and the hustle and bustle were FAKE requests.

Edited by aghst
  • Like 4

California to Valencia, Spain.  Family of 5 who had been living in an RV.  The kids were 22, 18 and 13!  Living in an RV with their parents!

They moved around for the father's job.  Now he's unemployed and they decide to get  digital nomad visa because she's making money doing cooking videos online?

OK clearly they are moving to save costs, though the parents said they had visited once before.   But they expect a 4 bedroom apartment in the best neighborhood of Ruzafa for $1700.  Yeah it's definitely about costs and those digital nomad visas may not be renewed after a year, 2 years, etc

Apparently the 22 year old son doesn't plan to move out, like go to college.  The 18-year old daughter will be going to culinary school, so maybe she will do cooking videos too, to earn a living

I don't recall an HHI episode where a college-age kid moves with the family.  Often they stay behind or happen to be going to college already nearby.

House 1 was a Spanish place with 3 bedrooms 1 bath for $1600.  Wife liked the kitchen and the Spanish character but they worried about not having the extra bedroom and the husband was insistent on outdoor space, specifically a terrace.

House 2 was a 4 bedroom 2 bath apartment with terraces in Ruzafa for $1700.  Husband loved the terraces and the wife was meh on the kitchen for her cooking videos.

House 3 was out of their preferred area, away from the city center.  But it had terrace with nice views though only 3 bedrooms.

They eliminated house 1 and chose house 2 for the 4 bedrooms.

Wife admits worrying about finances -- couldn't sleep some nights -- admits they don't have money.  There's no real talk about giving their children experiences or maybe they travel Europe.

The couple appear to be high school sweethearts from Fresno.  All well and good and people struggle.  But apparently they didn't encourage their kids to focus on academics, try to have better prospects than the parents.

They didn't say how long they moved around in an RV following the husband's job.  Maybe that job didnt' pay enough for them to have a home as well as a place for him to stay when away from home.  But maybe it also disrupted the kids' education?

This move seems like short term thinking.  She has some income for now and with this visa, they can access some low-priced housing for awhile

 

 

  • Like 4

The woman in the Spain episode was too much with her fake affectation. When I heard the two oldest were old enough to be on their own, I was WTF? Wife was clearly angling for her own cooking show. Her fussing over needing "natural" light in the kitchen was BS. Can you tell she annoyed me? 🤣 

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3 hours ago, Crashcourse said:

I don't see how the wife could support a family of five doing online cooking videos.  I missed the ending, but did they say at the end if the husband found a job?  Can the two older kids get work visas?  

I heard her say she was an certified health coach for a US based company who does food videos on the side & wants to go to culinary school.

Maybe this a short term deal so she & the daughter can attend culinary school together? It did seem odd that there was no mention of education for any of the kids. Did they homeschool in the RV???

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The father did say he was homeschooling the younger boy, but no mention of school or work for the older boy. 
my husband and I took our baby daughter across country in a pop up trailer…not as big as an RV and so incredibly cramped. I can’t imagine a family of 5 in an RV for longer than a 2 week vacation. 
 

  • Like 4
On 2/19/2025 at 2:03 AM, surfgirl said:

Chicago to Amsterdam: He has no job, she does. She wants outside city center, he wants in. City center apartment was gorgeous but $30k over budget, took the quiet flat 10 minute bike ride from city center. I am jealous.

I totally would've gone for the city center place.  I get why they didn't, but I loved it.

23 hours ago, aghst said:

California to Valencia, Spain.  Family of 5 who had been living in an RV.  The kids were 22, 18 and 13!  Living in an RV with their parents!

They moved around for the father's job.  Now he's unemployed and they decide to get  digital nomad visa because she's making money doing cooking videos online?

Their alleged story didn't make a whole lot of sense to me.  Glad they are happy with the choice but agree they're not going to be in Spain that long on a digital nomad visa, and two adult children living with them drastically raises the minimum income threshold for the visa.  So I'm not buying their story at all.

On a personal note, I loved the first place they were shown.  Give me historic detail in a European apartment over space any day of the week.

18 hours ago, snarts said:

I heard her say she was an certified health coach for a US based company

Oh god, maybe she's one of those health coaches that CareFirst keeps trying to push on me.  I would not want her as mine, that's for sure.

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The wife in this episode was wayyyyyy over the top and so stereotypically American (I’m American, I can say this lol). The squealing.  The fake accent.  The hyperbole.  The exclaiming over !!!!!everything!!!!!! Was just way too much. The gasps!!!! Lord. That husband got maybe 5 words in. So artificial.  

  • Applause 4
9 hours ago, Meowwww said:

The wife in this episode was wayyyyyy over the top and so stereotypically American (I’m American, I can say this lol). The squealing.  The fake accent.  The hyperbole.  The exclaiming over !!!!!everything!!!!!! Was just way too much. The gasps!!!! Lord. That husband got maybe 5 words in. So artificial.  

I couldn’t spend more than 5 minutes with that woman. Her energy was so twitchy and overbearing. My God, let the man have his steak sauce! I’ll bet she’s one of those women who Loves to tell you how much they Love to cook, but never actually eats anything. And you better praise that food like it’s manna from heaven or you’ll be passive aggressive’d to death.  

She said ‘oh but I love that Spanish kitchen!’ But it just looked like a typical, small apartment kitchen. 🤷‍♀️

Daughter was stunning. 

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Those Amsterdam prices are wild, nearly $800,000 for a tiny apartment with a tiny yard and neighbors every way you turn your head.  Such a pretty city, love their older buildings, but way too many people for me. “Learn how to drive” lol a universal complaint lol 
 

Floor is so pretty and charming. Is she an actress? 

  • Like 2
6 minutes ago, Pi237 said:

Floor is so pretty and charming. Is she an actress?

I posted an interview I found with Floor upthread some time ago. It was with 2 guys who do a podcast and were interested in how she got her gig on HHI. She said she was in law school and needed a job to finance school. She started working at a real estate company doing clerical work and then moved to showing properties. Someone who had applied to be on HHI happened to use her firm, and the rest is history.

Sarah, on the other hand, is an actor. She now touts herself as a specialist in finding properties since she got on HHI.

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1 hour ago, Pi237 said:

Those Amsterdam prices are wild, nearly $800,000 for a tiny apartment with a tiny yard and neighbors every way you turn your head.  Such a pretty city, love their older buildings, but way too many people for me. “Learn how to drive” lol a universal complaint lol 
 

Floor is so pretty and charming. Is she an actress? 

It's the law of supply and demand.  Small supply and large demand equals huge prices.  And they weren't even looking for something in the canal ring.  Two bedroom/one bath apartments there generally go for over a million dollars.

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