House Hunters International - General Discussion

[Dewey Decimate]

5 hours ago, Ohwell said:

The NZ agent was attractive in the face, but she looked like she had a small animal curled up on top of her head. 

Diff'rent strokes - I loved the hair-bow-twisty thing on her head! I thought there was going to be a reveal at the end with the wife being pregnant again. (Or did they and I missed it?) She had a weird waddle while walking into the second offering, and there was definitely a stomach-area pooch (not hating: I'm certainly not svelte myself).

Add me to the list of "babe"-haters. I'd rather hear someone call their SO snookums, sweetie, honeybuns.... just about anything other than "babe" - it's like the feeling of chewing on a cotton ball. *squick*

[Pickles]

The New Zealand wife WAS pregnant at the end!

[Dewey Decimate]

14 minutes ago, Pickles said:

The New Zealand wife WAS pregnant at the end!

Phew! My dvr often cuts off the last 20 seconds from HHI eps, thanks!

[LittleIggy]

1 hour ago, Dewey Decimate said:

Diff'rent strokes - I loved the hair-bow-twisty thing on her head! I thought there was going to be a reveal at the end with the wife being pregnant again. (Or did they and I missed it?) She had a weird waddle while walking into the second offering, and there was definitely a stomach-area pooch (not hating: I'm certainly not svelte myself).

Add me to the list of "babe"-haters. I'd rather hear someone call their SO snookums, sweetie, honeybuns.... just about anything other than "babe" - it's like the feeling of chewing on a cotton ball. *squick*

I can’t stomach “Fixer Upper” because of all the “babe” stuff. The wife’s raccoon eyes grate too.

NZ: Agree about the husband being annoying. Glad they got the house she wanted. The beach was only a couple of blocks away.

Canada to Germany: The husband didn’t seem happy at all at the end. I can’t blame him. Who wants a two hour commute. I didn’t like the wife at all. She’s been married to a German guy for 9 years and doesn’t speak much German? Oh, and after 3 months they still don’t have a tenant? After all her talk about needing room for a rental unit to make money. Wonder how much he spends on gas for the commute? ?

Nice to see the cute “very young Elvis” looking agent again.

Edited October 26, 2018 by LittleIggy

[buttersister]

Canada to Germany: Leaving her high-paying job to be a sahm, “letting her husband” be the breadwinner in his home country, you knew she was getting the house and location she wanted! Making him drive for hours a day, not being too close to her in-laws and calling the shots ticked all her boxes. I’ll bet that was a long nine years for him—anyone else think this move had been agreed to years ago?

[mojito]

Canada to Germany

I'm no world traveler, but it strikes me as odd to stay in a non-rural home that's over an hour from the city. 

I'm thinking that the husband is glad to have himself and his kids on his home turf. If she goes back to Canada, she goes back alone. ?

[Ohwell]

19 minutes ago, mojito said:

I'm thinking that the husband is glad to have himself and his kids on his home turf. If she goes back to Canada, she goes back alone. ?

That's what I was thinking.  Husband has got what he wanted.  

The wife seemed kind of "flighty," to put it euphemistically. 

[sempervivum]

Canada to Germany- Did they say what the guy's occupation was? In the Canada shots, it looked like they were on a farm. 

He seemed to be genuinely sour about her getting her way (not that I blame him). Handsome couple, though.

[Ohwell]

1 hour ago, sempervivum said:

Handsome couple, though.

I thought the husband had gorgeous eyes but he looked really thin.  Hopefully, since he's home with his family, his mom can fatten him up a little. 

[Amandarez]

On 10/24/2018 at 1:19 PM, proserpina65 said:

The 'alley' which looked like a regular street to me.  I disliked her intensely.  And all that fussing about wanting a balcony and a view - it's Manchester, the view is not that great, and how often will you actually get to sit on that balcony with the crap Midlands weather anyway?

It's a real program of studies which prepares people to work in museums at a higher level than ticket taker, guide or gift shop cashier; it actually prepares students to run museums.  I considered it myself, but ended up going with Medieval & Renaissance Studies instead.  Because that's so much more likely to get one a job. ;-)

Was coming here to comment on how annoying Manchester girl was with her complaints about the furniture, and desire for a balcony in the UK ?. And then I saw proserpina65’s comment -  I am also a medieval and Renaissance studies major!!!!  Somehow ended up as a nurse practitioner. 

I don’t know anyone else who has the same major (I was the only one in college). Small world!! 

[javajeanelaine]

Canada to Germany. The wife was extremely self involved. I feel sorry for her husband.

Edited October 27, 2018 by javajeanelaine

[LittleIggy]

Phnom Penh: Those sisters were ridiculous with their measuring tape! ? As immature as the younger sister (hope she monitors all of those moles) came off, they made the right choice getting a place where they wouldn’t have to share a bathroom (even a huge one). 

[abbyzenn]

Once again catching up:

Antwerp:  Every now and then when I watch I see a couple that I think are just perfect for each other and this was one of those times.  I thought all 3 choices were really nice and surprised at the fairly cheap price of $1000.  Since they had such a concern about their dog and the wood floors - I kept thinking don't they know about rugs? - then in the end it was only a small rug they put down.

Dubai to Manchester:  This was one of those times I thought mister what do you see in her?  She was so annoying.  Reminded me of a business trip I once did with a couple of others people and one night at dinner one woman complained because her vegetable soup had too many vegetables.  They also mentioned that in Dubai the expat jobs paid so much so they had a great lifestyle, why didn't they save any of that money?  If your moving to a rental and especially only for a short time (since she was just getting a degree there not working there) I can't see being so picky about things - sure you can have basic wants like house vs apartment, short commuting time.  Funny she complained about the furniture in one place which had purple couches and then in the next place there were purple beds.

[SmithW6079]

Utah to NZ: I don't think the husband was a horse's ass. I think he was a full-on dick. Seriously, and he was involved in the "culinary arts"? Did that mean he was a waiter in a diner somewhere? (Not that I'm knocking diners or diner wait staff; diners are my favorite places to eat.)

So she moves to New Zealand for a job, gets pregnant/is pregnant, and then gets her healthcare taken care of. Not a bad scam if you ask me. Also, if they have another son, please, please, please name him Tesla.

[chessiegal]

I have a friend who has dual citizenship - USA and NZ. She's going to be losing her COBRA in the not too distant future, and they are considering moving back to NZ for the healthcare.

[ML89]

Saw the Ireland one - yeah, hubbie was a bit much and I thought they picked the wrong house, but I love that agent, so glad to see him. He is a riot. "I get him a house 40 feet from a pub and he's whinging on..."

Edited October 27, 2018 by ML89

[Ohwell]

2 hours ago, SmithW6079 said:

Seriously, and he was involved in the "culinary arts"? Did that mean he was a waiter in a diner somewhere?

I really wanted to reach through the tv and punch him in the throat for that.  He could have simply said "chef" if he was, indeed, in the culinary arts.  It did make me think he was actually a short-order cook in a diner.  Not that there's anything wrong with that. 

[SmithW6079]

On 10/23/2018 at 12:15 AM, LittleIggy said:

NY to Lisbon: After all that, we didn’t get to see Ms. High Society’s place after she moved in? Wonder what her NYC place sold for.

 

On 10/23/2018 at 12:57 PM, javajeanelaine said:

I wonder Ms. High Society spent so much on the apartment that she couldn't afford furniture!

I didn't get Ms. Lady Who Lunches's insistence on putting two twin beds in just one of the two extra bedrooms she wanted. Was she expecting her two adult children to come at the same time while she had another guest in the other room? 

I think we didn't see the whole apartment because she was going to gut the kitchen, the way she said she wanted. 

Did she say she got a job curating an art show in Lisbon? And who was that guy she was talking to at the end? Her son? An artist? 

This was a weird episode. 

[CrazyInAlabama]

I'm wondering how many of the HHI spouse or significant others are really allowed to get a job in the new country?    And why so many HHI buy houses, when I suspect they're not staying forever?     I really wonder how many purchases are really just rentals, and are changed to make the tours more interesting.     I can't believe the budgets some of the buyers have either.     Especially the younger ones, that have huge budgets.   I guess some have family money or something, but still the one income family buying something super expensive just seems absurd.  

The Lisbon episode was very odd, and I really wonder what the back story was.   

I still remember the episode that showed how fake the HHI episodes are.   A member of the architecture or engineering firm that was completing the flame shaped hotel/shopping tower, I think in Dubai.    The house hunters looked at a beautiful apartment unfurnished, but it actually had one of the translucent drawer front bureaus that had a red sweater or something in one drawer showing through, and a big ugly bar stool.     When they showed the one the people rented there was the same dresser with the same red sweater in the drawer, and the ugly bar stool.    The back story was that the people had lived there for a couple of years already, and they hadn't finished moving out yet, so the before shopping picture was actually the after picture.     Another one with a big family renting a place in France for the few years they would be there, actually already lived in the one they picked for a few years.    No wonder the rooms were perfectly furnished for each kid.  

I just watch the U.S. and international ones for the houses, and know they're mostly fake.   

I saw the rerun of the people that were moving from England to Australia, for the husband's job, and the wife was horrible about it.    She only wanted whatever the husband wouldn't like, and it was obvious she was livid about the move.    You would have thought they were moving to some horrible place, instead of a lovely modern country with millions of great activities, scenery, and great people.     And her claims that since the England house was one story, that the two story houses would traumatize the daughters was total garbage.    My guess is that eventually the wife hiked her buns back to England without the husband.   

Edited October 31, 2018 by CrazyInAlabama

[chessiegal]

HHI is infamous for fake stories. I remember 1 couple who said the house/apartment they "chose" wasn't theirs, because they didn't want their home on TV (just themselves evidently).

[LittleIggy]

6 hours ago, SmithW6079 said:

Utah to NZ: I don't think the husband was a horse's ass. I think he was a full-on dick. Seriously, and he was involved in the "culinary arts"? Did that mean he was a waiter in a diner somewhere? (Not that I'm knocking diners or diner wait staff; diners are my favorite places to eat.)

So she moves to New Zealand for a job, gets pregnant/is pregnant, and then gets her healthcare taken care of. Not a bad scam if you ask me. Also, if they have another son, please, please, please name him Tesla.

How is it a scam to get a job in another country, pay taxes into the system, and participate in the healthcare system of that country? I don’t see any reason to insult the lady like that.

[SpiritSong]

On 10/26/2018 at 9:54 PM, LittleIggy said:

Phnom Penh: Those sisters were ridiculous with their measuring tape! ? As immature as the younger sister (hope she monitors all of those moles) came off, they made the right choice getting a place where they wouldn’t have to share a bathroom (even a huge one). 

While I certainly understand setting a budget and wanting to stick to it, the sisters here annoyed me no end with the "it's over budget!" schtick. Is an extra $25 a month each really going to put you in the poorhouse?  HH and HHI in general irritate me with talk of budgets. Either they react with horror over a very small difference-you wouldn't even notice an extra $10,000 on a $300,000 mortgage-or their "firm budget" gets thrown out the window and the house hunters end up spending 200 grand more than they say they can afford. Why does everything about this show have to be so fake?

[SmithW6079]

On 10/26/2018 at 8:03 PM, javajeanelaine said:

Canada to Germany. The wife was extremely self involved. I feel sorry for her husband.

Holy shit! That Canada wife was horrid, absolutely horrid. Like, one of the worst people they've ever shown. Plus, I hate watching couples bicker on TV. She had absolutely zero consideration for his 3-hour daily commute.

Usually in these cases, the spouse who makes the compromise will find a least something positive to say about the house they chose, but not this husband -- he flat-out said the commute sucks, and she tried to gloss over it by saying the family who have come out to visit day the drive's not bad -- sure, if you do it once in a while, not every day.

I hope the husband dumps her so he can be with this family and closer to work. He'll be well rid of her.

According to her LinkedIn profile, she's a nurse near Vancouver (from 2012 to present), so maybe she went back already. 

[proserpina65]

On ‎10‎/‎25‎/‎2018 at 10:44 PM, Dewey Decimate said:

Add me to the list of "babe"-haters. I'd rather hear someone call their SO snookums, sweetie, honeybuns.... just about anything other than "babe" - it's like the feeling of chewing on a cotton ball. *squick*

Is there a list I can join for those who have no problem with "babe" as a term of endearment?

[proserpina65]

On ‎10‎/‎26‎/‎2018 at 7:52 PM, Amandarez said:

Was coming here to comment on how annoying Manchester girl was with her complaints about the furniture, and desire for a balcony in the UK ?. And then I saw proserpina65’s comment -  I am also a medieval and Renaissance studies major!!!!  Somehow ended up as a nurse practitioner. 

I don’t know anyone else who has the same major (I was the only one in college). Small world!! 

There wasn't anyone else at my university either.  It fell under the umbrella of Interdisciplinary Studies.  I do know someone whose History concentration was Medieval Studies - she now lectures at a school in London, and at one point was teaching a class on medieval poisons in York.

[Amandarez]

5 hours ago, proserpina65 said:

There wasn't anyone else at my university either.  It fell under the umbrella of Interdisciplinary Studies.  I do know someone whose History concentration was Medieval Studies - she now lectures at a school in London, and at one point was teaching a class on medieval poisons in York.

Mine was also interdisciplinary studies. Can I ask where you went?  I went to the college of William and Mary in Virginia. 

[Amandarez]

The sisters in Cambodia. 

My sister and I are the same years apart and we have lived before. However we are adults and not valley girls. Their vocal fry and immaturity drove me crazy.   They chose the right place because they totally would have fought over the small bedroom. 

Second and this is mean- the older one looked soooo old. Her skin was not aging well. And The dress that looked like a button down shirt- it was so short it literally looked like she forgot her pants. Sorry I had to grip because I was so distracted by it. 

[Kohola3]

Military move to Germany.  The worst possible combination - kids involved in the decision, moron parent with his stupid ghost crap and "German charm".  What a horrible episode.
 

[Thumper]

On October 26, 2018 at 7:03 PM, javajeanelaine said:

Canada to Germany. The wife was extremely self involved. I feel sorry for her husband.

Could not believe he agreed to that commute!  She was wrong -- and sure, she was going to have renters in their place while raising very young children????  No.  There must be more to this story.

[LittleIggy]

1 hour ago, Kohola3 said:

Military move to Germany.  The worst possible combination - kids involved in the decision, moron parent with his stupid ghost crap and "German charm".  What a horrible episode.
 

I hope his fellow service people didn’t see that episode. He’ll never hear the end of ghost jokes.

[Kohola3]

8 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

He’ll never hear the end of ghost jokes.

Well, I certainly hope so.  He deserves every minute of derision.  Man, what a weeny.

[mojito]

CA to Germany

Does HH pay people to be abnormally ridiculous?

Here we have this guy, whose basic job is to protect his country and his country's interests, and he's afraid of things he thinks will go bump in the night. 

Wife and her idiotic German charm demand when she's loaded down with an excess of American shit. 

I liked the agent's (Krustina Munchschwanger--whew!) enthusiasm and the words she uses and how she constructs her sentences. You always understand what she is saying, even when she's saying it a little awkwardly.

[LennieBriscoe]

Kaiserlautern, Germany:

Baldy Soldier is so completely ignorant and rude,  HTH did he ever get a woman to marry and procreate with him?

"This is too small for my buddies and my grill,  my smoker,  and my fat arse." Okay,  I added the last one. 

"This kitchen is so OLD. Are the cabinets original?!" 

"There's a GHOST here!" "Those are headstones!"

"I want a big yard! I want modern! I want room for my military gear! We can deal with the smell of manure!"

Apparently "modern" means "no ghosts" to this embarrassing jerk. 

Edited October 30, 2018 by LennieBriscoe

[psychoticstate]

Las Vegas to Somerset, UK couple.  I caught this on a rerun, I think.  

I loved the husband's accent.  I loved, loved, loved the English countryside.   I do understand the American wife's desire for English country charm while the Brit husband got accustomed to American style and amenities in his 15 or so years in our country.  

I thought for sure they would go with the bland ranch style house in Bruton that they could renovate and enlarge, given its walkability in Bruton and the fact they mentioned she would not have access to a car while he was working.

The property they chose was gorgeous -- - the former post office -- with loads of charm but I felt terrible for the husband, who had to bend down going through each doorway.  I also wondered what the wife was going to do all day, if she was without a car and in a location that only had a pub close by.  (Okay, maybe that question answers itself.)  

Regardless, it really makes me want to move to England.

[proserpina65]

15 hours ago, Amandarez said:

Mine was also interdisciplinary studies. Can I ask where you went?  I went to the college of William and Mary in Virginia. 

Towson State University in Towson, Md., when it still included the "State".  Now it's just Towson University.

[izabella]

5 hours ago, LennieBriscoe said:

Kaiserlautern, Germany:

Baldy Soldier is so completely ignorant and rude,  HTH did he ever get a woman to marry and procreate with him?

"This is too small for my buddies and my grill,  my smoker,  and my fat arse." Okay,  I added the last one. 

"This kitchen is so OLD. Are the cabinets original?!" 

"There's a GHOST here!" "Those are headstones!"

"I want a big yard! I want modern! I want room for my military gear! We can deal with the smell of manure!"

Apparently "modern" means "no ghosts" to this embarrassing jerk. 

 

Don't forget:  "Our son is 14.  Is he ready for all of this (meaning a bedroom with attached bath)?  Is there a security issue?"

Seriously?  What exactly are you afraid of if your 14 year old has a floor of the house to himself?  He's 14, not 4.

Edited October 30, 2018 by izabella

[doodlebug]

1 hour ago, izabella said:

Don't forget:  "Our son is 14.  Is he ready for all of this (meaning a bedroom with attached bath)?  Is there a security issue?"

Seriously?  What exactly are you afraid of if your 14 year old has a floor of the house to himself?  He's 14, not 4.

While I've never had a 14 year old son, I think I know what they were concerned about.  It looked like his bedroom was on a lower floor than theirs and I think they were concerned about him sneaking out at night since they wouldn't be close enough to hear him easily.

[Ohwell]

30 minutes ago, doodlebug said:

While I've never had a 14 year old son, I think I know what they were concerned about.  It looked like his bedroom was on a lower floor than theirs and I think they were concerned about him sneaking out at night since they wouldn't be close enough to hear him easily.

Yup, and the son looked like that's exactly what he might do.

[izabella]

He was happily glued to his video games at the end, so I'm thinking he prefers the comforts of home rather than sneaking out.  I think they were afraid someone would break in and snatch him without them nearby.

[aguabella]

On 10/18/2018 at 4:26 PM, Bronx Babe said:

This was a very confusing episode.  After revealing their chosen house the husband said something about "we're already booked".   

 

On 10/19/2018 at 8:44 AM, TVForever said:

As soon as I saw that, it confirmed (at least to me) what I already suspected- they were always looking for a place with space to rent out.

That "lovely downstairs space" that just happened to have a second oven? Please. That's not for the 87- year old mom. That's for the Airbnb apartment (probably with separate entrance) that allows 2 teachers to afford to pay almost 600k for a house. The thing that drives me nuts is why the show doesn't just go with what's more likely the real story? It's compelling enough. We know the husband isn't going through all that drama to accommodate a 87 year old woman who may not even be up to the trip. 

Yep, that's it!  "Mom" was most likely a euphemism / alternative for "Air BnB".  Although I agree that the actual stories are most likely more entertaining than the faux HHI drama, I kinda' understand that they have difficulty casting HHI participants and don't care to air "HH - ABB", lol!

Or, do they, lol?  Is that the next spin-off? hahaha ...

Edited October 31, 2018 by aguabella

[aguabella]

On 10/27/2018 at 4:48 PM, Ohwell said:

I really wanted to reach through the tv and punch him in the throat for that.  He could have simply said "chef" if he was, indeed, in the culinary arts.  It did make me think he was actually a short-order cook in a diner.  Not that there's anything wrong with that. 

Please don't do that, lol!  Well, if you really feel that way, haha ...

How do we know that the word "chef" or "as a chef" wasn't edited out of the 40 some-odd hours filming for the 22-minute episode?  Or, what if he graduated culinary school but is a manager or sommelier or hey, even a dishwasher?  Nothing wrong with that, either.

He certainly wasn't my favorite HHI spouse but he came off as the best actor from that particular episode, to me.  For one thing, if he's able to catch everyone's attention, negatively or positively, then he performed his job.

Didn't plan on looking him up but it only took a few seconds:

https://www.stuff.co.nz/timaru-herald/news/103917173/timaru-centre-of-tv-show-search-for-couples-new-family-home

Yes, as of filming, he was working part-time at the local country club.  It's possible, as a trailing spouse, that he did plan on spending more time with his son and HHI decided to use their standard "budget" plot.

[Bronx Babe]

1 hour ago, aguabella said:

 

Yep, that's it!  "Mom" was most likely a euphemism / alternative for "Air BnB".  Although I agree that the actual stories are most likely more entertaining than the faux HHI drama, I kinda' understand that they have difficulty casting HHI participants and don't care to air "HH - ABB", lol!

Or, do they, lol?  Is that the next spin-off? hahaha ...

lol, I think you're right.  

In the back of my mind I never really believed his 87 year old mother would be staying there.

[pep4]

Buffalo to Madrid:  Mr. Chill was awesome.  Some wit and amazingly managed to be a somewhat unique character for House Hunters without being annoying.  A very nice change of pace.  (I'm still pissed at that Germany/ghost/charm/fake drawers moving abomination that was typical HH at its worst, and I only saw the last 7 minute of the episode.)

In a different direction, that realtor cracking the whip made my mind wander....

[LennieBriscoe]

Dewey Decimate, my recorder does,  too! But I've found that those missing final moments are actually  on the beginning of the next episode!

[Kenzie]

On 10/29/2018 at 8:28 PM, Thumper said:

Could not believe he agreed to that commute!  She was wrong -- and sure, she was going to have renters in their place while raising very young children????  No.  There must be more to this story.

I think her smile tried and failed to mask an iron will.

[MartyQui]

Buffalo to Madrid:  had they actually dated before moving?  She didn’t seem to know the least little thing about him...I would think I would have known if my boyfriend liked to cook or was messy.  I think they picked the best apartment for them, I would have needed space to live with Mr. Old Man.

[sempervivum]

Madrid- Poor, weird-looking Jon: please run far away from Maria! I gasped when he said (about the suburban place they ultimately chose) 'I can hear the birds', and she snapped 'Good for you' (she really wanted the downtown Hobbit House). I also cringed during their shopping session, when she kept sneering at his (admittedly) goofy selections- a chocolate fountain, really? He seemed very naïve/awkward and inexperienced, and I suspect he's dazzled by his 'luck' in hooking up with a (relatively) pretty girl, and hasn't figured out what a beyotch she is yet..

I also noticed that when they finally made their choice, unlike almost ALL the couples we see, they didn't kiss. I realized then that they hadn't been shown touching or even holding hands during the rest of the episode. 

[Kohola3]

23 minutes ago, sempervivum said:

I also noticed that when they finally made their choice, unlike almost ALL the couples we see, they didn't kiss. I realized then that they hadn't been shown touching or even holding hands during the rest of the episode. 

I'm calling fake on this whole thing.  They didn't seem to know anything about each other nor were they even friendly.  It was too bizarre.

[pep4]

I think his chocolate fountain bit was just being humorous.  But if there are issues, it's not a long flight from Madrid to Salzburg, Austria...where he can learn how to solve a problem like Maria.

"I am 25, going on 50...."

[aguabella]

On 10/22/2018 at 10:55 AM, SmithW6079 said:

I remember the Irish ruins episode. Reenacting is huge. I don't recall if they did Renaissance fairs and festivals, but there are all sorts of reenacters for different periods in history.

I wonder if they did ever manage to get the work done on the ruins. I would love to see what they did with it. 

Yes, everybody, it was a rerun.  Doesn't look like they've done much with it, however.  They did appear on a local tour and hosted at least one reenactment.

Here's the website:    https://www.sigginstowncastle.com/