House Hunters International - General Discussion

[proserpina65]

Recently watched a re-run in London with Richard.  Young couple with a cat looking in East London.  The place the girl liked was over-budget and wouldn't have come furnished.  There was a large stove with what looked like 4 oven doors, and all I could think was "is one of those a proving drawer?".

[aghst]

LA to London.  College sweethearts and engaged Kenny and Jessie both gave up their jobs in California so that she could do a PhD program at Kings College.

They will be living on a college stipend and savings so they want to stay under $2600 a month.  Kenny thinks they should go for a 1-bedroom while Jessie wants 2 bedrooms because Kenny’s parents will visit.

She also wants a big kitchen for Kenny who does the cooking and no carpets because she does the cleaning.  They also want to be near a Tube station

Richard finds them 3 properties in the Queens Park area, which is west to northwest London.

House 1 is a 1 bed, 1 bath place for $2200.  Immediately Jessie has a strong reaction vs. the carpet, claiming it’s difficult to keep clean and how she’d have to vacuum every day.  

She tells Richard that they’re ready to look at an uncarpeted property next!

House 2 is 2 bed, 1 bath for $2500.  As they enter the property, she starts complaining about carpets in the stairs and hallway leading to the apt, which seems recently renovated and does in fact seem to have wood floors throughout.

Jessie says second bedroom is tiny and it’s misleading to call it a 2-bedroom place.

House 3 is 2 bed 1 bath but $3000 a month.  It’s spacious downstairs for the kitchen and living room.  But upstairs is carpeted though the second bedroom is roomy.  Jessie notes that there is carpet but doesn’t rant this time.

So they eliminate House 3 because of costs.  Kenny talks up House 1 because it has the lowest rent.  Jessie says they MUST have 2 bedrooms to host Kenny’s parents.  Kenny agrees since it’s still under their budget.

3 months later, Kenny has found a job so money pressures have alleviated.  Jessie uses that second bedroom as a study because it’s too small for a bed.

Kenny’s parents have already visited — so maybe there were definite plans for them to visit and she felt pressure.  

[Grizzly]

She was pretty neurotic about the carpets. It was a bit overdone. Hope her PhD isn't in acting.

[aghst]

Ontario, Canada to Costa Rica.  Canadian couple with 11-year old daughter wants to move to CR to escape the snow.  Husband found a job managing resort golf courses while wife Wendy would be working from home.

They want at least 3 bedrooms for Wendy’s office, be near to drop off daughter Paige for school bus and want a view, for $450k.

House 1 is a new condo for $419k.  It’s not close to the school bus stop and it only has a shared pool.  Wendy doesn’t want to have to drive Paige and pick her up from the school bus stop.

House 2 is 3 bedroom with small private pool and within walking distance to bus stop for $439k.  But no view.

House 3 is above the town with nice ocean views.  Only 2 bedrooms and price is $469k.  Wendy says she’s afraid of heights so would be nervous driving Paige to and from bus stop, downhill and uphill.

They eliminate House 3 because of price.  They end up choosing House 2 for proximity to school bus.

 

[surfgirl]

3 hours ago, aghst said:

Wendy says she’s afraid of heights so would be nervous driving Paige to and from bus stop, downhill and uphill.

Some of these people sound so neurotic that it's a wonder they even managed to get on a plane let alone think they could live overseas!

[proserpina65]

Between the carpet neuroses and the insistence that they had to have a second bedroom for guests who could very easily stay at freaking hotels, I really didn't like Jessie.  I mean, I hate carpets but in those apartments, vacuuming would've taken ten minutes, tops.

[abbyzenn]

I actually didn't mind the couple LA to London.  It was good to see someone stick to their budget - that 3rd place was certainly roomier than the other two but I can see why they didn't take it.  I thought it the place the took they could put a daybed/sofa bed in that dinning area, it was certainly a large area.  I don't think he said what kind of job he gave up in LA nor did he say what he was doing in London other than a "freelance" job so it might not be that much money.  Funny how they talked about his parents so much but other than her mentioning her family background she never mentioned her family.

[Crashcourse]

That carpet hating woman got on my last nerve. 

[Dirge]

11 hours ago, proserpina65 said:

Between the carpet neuroses and the insistence that they had to have a second bedroom for guests who could very easily stay at freaking hotels, I really didn't like Jessie.  I mean, I hate carpets but in those apartments, vacuuming would've taken ten minutes, tops.

The carpet yammering got on my nerves. His parents stayed for 3 weeks - that would have been an expensive hotel stay. I can't imagine imposing on someone for that long. 

[BAForever]

6 hours ago, Dirge said:

The carpet yammering got on my nerves. His parents stayed for 3 weeks - that would have been an expensive hotel stay. I can't imagine imposing on someone for that long. 

Agree @Dirge. Got some real insight about his upbringing and the strong cultural beliefs about children taking care of their parents as they age. Three weeks in a tiny apartment with one bathroom and one true bedroom would be hard.

[proserpina65]

21 hours ago, abbyzenn said:

I actually didn't mind the couple LA to London.  It was good to see someone stick to their budget - that 3rd place was certainly roomier than the other two but I can see why they didn't take it.  I thought it the place the took they could put a daybed/sofa bed in that dinning area, it was certainly a large area.  I don't think he said what kind of job he gave up in LA nor did he say what he was doing in London other than a "freelance" job so it might not be that much money.  Funny how they talked about his parents so much but other than her mentioning her family background she never mentioned her family.

She got on my nerves, obviously, but I thought they picked the right place.  I had the same thought about that lounge area, that a sleeper sofa could make a second sleeping space for company.

No way would I let anyone stay with me for 3 weeks.  Well, maybe Chris Hemsworth, but he wouldn't need his own bed.

 

[buttersister]

It’s a cultural thing. The husband already expressed guilt over moving to London, and away from his parents, who were depending on him. Not sure how long it’ll take the carpet hater to get her degree, but if the parents are still alive, he’s going back. IMO.

[Pine]

LA to London, the only comment she made about her family, was they came here as slaves, and weren't allowed to learn to read.   

[StatisticalOutlier]

On 2/26/2025 at 9:19 PM, aghst said:

Ontario, Canada to Costa Rica.

Seems to me if you're going to embrace pura vida to the extent that hardly a sentence goes by without mentioning it, you should not be pronouncing the country Cawsta Rica.

[Jodithgrace]

The “new” (according to my DVR) portmanteau episode that aired Thursday night was a couple of reruns smushed together, I think. I don’t usually remember episodes well enough to say for sure, but I definitely remember that one with the giant musical robot. I wonder how their band is doing these days. I forgot the band name or I’d google them. But is there much call for a viola, cello, and giant drum machine? At least they found a house with room, even if it did cost more. 

[Grizzly]

Valencia, Spain. Do not watch if you're in a testy mood. He wants it all for under $1000. And she has a whiny voice. The apartments are pretty nice.

[aghst]

10 hours ago, Grizzly said:

Valencia, Spain. Do not watch if you're in a testy mood. He wants it all for under $1000. And she has a whiny voice. The apartments are pretty nice.

He claimed that he saw a lot of places online for $1000 or less.  So maybe that’s how they found the place they were shown choosing and the show came up with two other places.

It met all their criteria except the second bedroom which she supposedly wanted.  Maybe that’s wasn’t a real want.

They’ve been traveling a lot, staying mostly 1-3 months in different European places.  Now they’re doing a Digital Nomad visa which allows them to stay more than the 3 months allowed by Schengen to Americans.  So probably they try one year and then decide.

Maybe they’re still keeping their home in Honolulu which is why they want fully furnished.  Also may be why the husband thinks 1 bedroom is enough, because it’s short term.

[aghst]

Phoenix to Lisbon.  Another young couple wanting a change, more driven by Ariel than Tucker, who wants it to be like back home in the phoenix suburbs as much as possible.

Ariel wants city center, to be immersed in the new culture while he wants peace and quiet, outdoor space for their dog, more space and stay under their $1200 budget.  So he’d be more open to living outside of the city.

They want 2 bedrooms since they both will be working at home.  This couple also seems to be taking advantage of a Digital Nomad Visa but they seem to be thinking more long term than the Valencia couple.  They both talk about learning Portuguese.

House 1 is in a suburb, about 40 minutes by train west of Lisbon.  It’s 2 bedrooms for $1200.  Ariel is not receptive to being so far away from the center of Lisbon.

House 2 is in the center of Lisbon, 2 bedrooms but $1400.  Tucker is wary about it being over the budget.  It’s not fully furnished so they’re looking at additional expenses on top of a higher rent.  No outdoor space for Luna, their dog.

House 3 is also outside of Lisbon, 15 minutes by train.  But it’s 1 bedroom with a little yard for the dog for $1000.  Not ideal for both having to work.

They eliminate House 1 and while Tucker argues for House 3 because of the lower rent, Ariel says why leave Phoenix if they weren’t going to try to have a lifestyle which would be a lot more different than living in the suburbs of Phoenix.

Three months later they say they’ve adapted well to their new life and work.  They don’t mention price at all.  They say their dog is now a city dog — well there are parks nearby.

[proserpina65]

13 hours ago, Grizzly said:

Valencia, Spain. Do not watch if you're in a testy mood. He wants it all for under $1000. And she has a whiny voice. The apartments are pretty nice.

I hated them from the moment he said they met at a Christian youth leadership school (or some such nonsense, basically about harassing people into believing the same thing as them, imo).  Then he pissed me off with his "I've spent hours on the internet looking at apartments and I think we can get everything we want for under $1000" bullshit.  Like, never mind the real estate professional who works in Valencia.  He obviously knows nothing.

The apartment they chose was great, though.  Just not 2 bedrooms with a balcony for under $1000.  Take that, annoying guy!

2 hours ago, aghst said:

He claimed that he saw a lot of places online for $1000 or less.  So maybe that’s how they found the place they were shown choosing and the show came up with two other places.

He was such an asshat about it, though, and clearly there wasn't a place for under $1000 which met all their criteria because they didn't end up with one.

I do wish the show would be honest about these digital nomad people only being there for a limited time, but then again, they like the house hunters to pretend they're looking for their dream homes, so . . . 

2 hours ago, aghst said:

They eliminate House 1 and while Tucker argues for House 3 because of the lower rent, Ariel says why leave Phoenix if they weren’t going to try to have a lifestyle which would be a lot more different than living in the suburbs of Phoenix.

You knew she was going to get her way.  Honestly, the third place looked like a perfect compromise and was definitely a lifestyle change for him but it wasn't what SHE wanted so I knew they weren't going to end up there.

And seriously, he gave up a career as an auto mechanic to do whatever social media crap they claimed to be doing?  That's insane, imo.

Edited 23 hours ago by proserpina65

[surfgirl]

When I hear these people crowing about their digital nomad visas, all I can think of is: "Tell me you're a slaker dbag without telling me you're a slaker dbag."

[aghst]

These couples looked young so they may still be looking for what to do long term.

Or maybe they're willing to take lower-paying job for a chance to have these experiences.

When I was their age, I wasn't backpacking through Europe but maybe that would have been an interesting path.

Even when I was working, my first trips abroad, I tried to save as much money as possible.  I could probably have stayed at hostels but the accommodations were maybe one cut above, own bathroom, place where you could lock up your belongings without worrying about leaving your backpack.

So a lot of house hunters were looking to move for a short period of time especially when travel blogs and social media were at their height and people wanted to showcase living abroad -- even if for a few months.

I prefer to see people making longer-term moves but as long as they're not doing it for a social media stunt, these couples seem to just want to share an experience, maybe before starting families back home.