House Hunters International - General Discussion

[biakbiak]

Admittedly I am a klutz but I would not want to live with those stairs, before or after.

[ML89]

I somehow did not see Competa Spain until now. What was the deal with Gramps and his cornrows??? Did he never get over 10 or something? Then the wife from Spain with the Irish accent. So. Many. Questions. Also, I'm sure traipsing up four flights of stairs daily is a blast.

[izabella]

17 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

MN to Tulum: WTF was that mess they put over the staircase? After bitching about edges on counters and tables, the mom is okay with that staircase and living somewhere with spikes and broken glass on top of the outside walls?

Don't forget the balcony railing where her kids are going to poke their heads through the bars.  I lol'd when she said that and immediately tried to imagine them getting stuck.  I'm going to hell.

Edited November 7, 2018 by izabella

[LazyToaster]

Ugh - the "couple" in Viet Nam.  It took me awhile to realize they really were going to move in together and not just be roomies.  Someone else said - and so true - zero chemistry with those two.  I actually was telling the TV "run girl run!" and she apparently didn't hear me.  LOL

[Mittengirl]

We seem to really be on a run of couples who seem to dislike each other.  Those two twits in London yet again had me wondering why the hell they were a couple.  I guess no one else wanted them?  

 

When did people get so delicate that kitchen colors and/or furniture causes anxiety?  Suck it up, people.  How will they handle the truly bad things that are bound to happen?

[pep4]

I'm a little jealous of the family that moved to Pucon, Chile.  Such a beautiful area and a great country.  Only $700 a month for that house!  

[Rosebud1970]

Those two in London who were moving from Toronto had to be the most annoying HH ever. Extremely unlikeable from the get go, really young with a seemingly unlimited budget $3600/month (!) and no apparent means of support. All they did was wander around London taking photos of each other. She saved money from doing real estate development. When? In grade school?

Richard shows them a place below budget and the reaction is, oh, more money to spend on stuff.

The colors on the walls gave her anxiety. He couldn't handle the big worktable in the center of the place they ultimately chose.

Poor Richard! I thought his eyes were going to get stuck, he was rolling them so hard.

[biakbiak]

I would not trust anyone who didn’t love that work bench in the house that they went with it was beautiful.

Given their budget I was surprised yhe ring was so tiny. 

[MartyQui]

Toronto to London...he said he worked for some kind of media or mobile company, and I’m going to guess she sees herself as an “influencer”...hence all the pictures of her posing in mediocre outfits.  God, they were annoying!  

[Ohwell]

9 hours ago, Mittengirl said:

We seem to really be on a run of couples who seem to dislike each other.  Those two twits in London yet again had me wondering why the hell they were a couple.  I guess no one else wanted them?  

Yes, the operative word here is "twits."  Couldn't stand either of them.

[sempervivum]

4 hours ago, biakbiak said:

Given their budget I was surprised yhe ring was so tiny. 

This was another mystery couple- she was cute (with loads of $$$) and he was weird looking with no discernable personality. Also, despite her alleged 'real estate windfall', there's gotta be a trust fund in the background. I will give her credit for accepting the tiny ring with good grace, though. 

[Ohwell]

I got the feeling that both of them were trust fund twits, and I thought they were travelling at about the same speed, looks-wise.

Edited November 8, 2018 by Ohwell

[mojito]

Toronto to London

She's in her early 20s but has lived in so many apartments that she didn't like, it was time to get one that she did like. WTF? Also, the problem with her eyes and getting anxiety by looking at something. Geez, where do they dig these people up from? They were both obnoxious.

They're both into photography and he didn't know that her mother was a photographer, too? Nothing like moving to a foreign country and shacking up with a near stranger to get to know someone. I give them a year, maybe two.

I frequently found myself thinking how he would've gotten his ass kicked back in my day for wearing those high waters, white socks, and clunky black oxfords. 

[Mittengirl]

2 minutes ago, mojito said:

high waters, white socks, and clunky black oxfords. 

OMG, I am so glad someone else noticed that!  Especially the high waters, a term I haven’t heard since elementary school. I think we also called them “floods”.  Please don’t tell me that is a fashion trend.  Not that either one of those nitwits looked very fashionable to me.  Her “posing” had me laughing so hard I had to go to the bathroom.

[biakbiak]

30 minutes ago, mojito said:

She's in her early 20s but has lived in so many apartments that she didn't like, it was time to get one that she did like. WTF?

I didn’t find that strange. In college I had a different apartment every year and sublet in different cities over the summer. So had lived in several apartments by my early 20s. 

[tch295]

Re: the Vietnam couple. Odd match. They didn't seem right for each other. She seemed too young and too pretty for him. The thing is I'm pretty sure they were around the same age, he just seemed middled aged. I don't see it working out.

 

Re: the couple in Mexico, I have 2 little kids and absolutely cannot understand how they decided to pick that house. First she's upset by sharp corners (easily fixed by bumpers) but then decides to go with the house with death trap, no handrail stairs, frightening balcony, and a concrete swimming pool. The fix they came up with the stairs was absolutely comical and the fix they came up with for the pool..nothing! Plus the house seemed to be in the middle of nowhere. Did they plan to have a car down there? Access to shops? Other people? Mom is going to be isolated in the jungle with no friends or playmates for her kids. Are they going to go to any sort of classes/preschool/socializing? What's the long term plan? Well why worry as long as dad is getting his kids out in nature right?? Because you cannot possibly do that in the US.

Edited November 8, 2018 by tch295

[kirklandia]

I really enjoyed the episode in Umeå!  Not for the bizarre threesome, but for the glimpse into Swedish life.  I agree that the third apartment was totally unsuitable for them, but for me, perfection.  

It was fun to see examples of things that impressed me when I visited Sweden - Scan modern furniture,  retro print curtain panels, those awesome cabinet-style clothes dryers.  Wonderful textiles (pretty sure I spotted a Josef Frank pillow cover).  Sunrooms!

[LittleIggy]

London: I can deal with twits as long as Richard is there! ?  Surely they meant for the caption to read “Mews Apartment” rather than “Muse Apartment.” 

Chile: If you are moving somewhere and are not going to be earning any income, maybe you should research what utilities and other cost of living items run. How long do they intend to live there without working?

The real estate guy looked as if he walked out of a Ralph Lauren ad photo shoot. Those blue eyes! Yowzaa!

[MsTree]

2 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

I can deal with twits as long as Richard is there!

I wish Richard would moderate all HHI shows.  And if it's true that most of the "reators" are actors, then Richard as himself would outshine any actor.

[msmarjoribanks]

On 11/8/2018 at 10:31 AM, Ohwell said:

I got the feeling that both of them were trust fund twits, and I thought they were travelling at about the same speed, looks-wise.

 

I had the same feeling.  Apparently her explanation for all her cash is that she flipped a house last year (that's what I assumed from what she said, and then I found her on linkedin, but she would have needed cash to do that).  It's possible he just had a high paying tech job.  The two of them were pretty much up there with the most annoying HHers for me.  I do love Richard.

Edited November 10, 2018 by msmarjoribanks

[SpiritSong]

Chile: what the hell is an "active but very safe" volcano? Isn't that a contradiction in terms?

On 11/8/2018 at 10:53 PM, LittleIggy said:

Chile: If you are moving somewhere and are not going to be earning any income, maybe you should research what utilities and other cost of living items run. How long do they intend to live there without working?

The real estate guy looked as if he walked out of a Ralph Lauren ad photo shoot. Those blue eyes! Yowzaa!

Yes, that husband looked foolish saying he had no idea what the cost of utilities would be. Seems like that would be part of basic research you would do before moving anywhere. 
 

Edited November 11, 2018 by SpiritSong

[juliet73]

On 11/7/2018 at 3:37 AM, Mittengirl said:

That thing that they put on the open staircase looked more dangerous than leaving things alone.  Looked like a kid could hang themself from it.

 

 

I thought the same thing!! In some spots, it looked like there were huge areas that the kids could climb through and then land head first onto the floor.  My solution would have been to attach a rail to the wall and just walk up and down on that side vs the open side.  It probably would have taken 4-5 screws to attach and it could be removed when they left.  I was more surprised that they hadn't child proofed the pool.  That is a tragedy waiting to happen!  I didn't understand their reasoning that the kids couldn't walk INTO the pool so it wasn't as concerning as the interior stairs.  All the children had to do was climb up 3 little steps and they would be in the pool.  

Australia military family:  I was a little put off by the husband in the beginning complaining about not wanting a "long" commute to work.  He wanted to live so close that he could come home for lunch everyday.  I understand not wanting to drive over 30+ minutes, but I think anything under that is fairly reasonable.  I think it's pretty selfish to pick a house solely based on coming home for lunch.  In the end, I'm glad they were able to find a house she liked and it was 5 minutes from his job.

Edited November 11, 2018 by juliet73

[rlc]

Luxembourg: So you’re going to apply for a job overseas, move your family from South Dakota, then poo poo any house that isn’t in the middle of nowhere and like at home because you’re concerned about culture shock? ???‍♀️

Edited November 14, 2018 by rlc

[pep4]

Australia to Rome:  So fake, she was living the entire time with boyfriend Luka (on the 2nd floor.)

Edited November 14, 2018 by pep4

[LittleIggy]

1 hour ago, rlc said:

Luxembourg: So you’re going to apply for a job overseas, move your family from South Dakota, then poo poo any house that isn’t in the middle of nowhere and like at home because you’re concerned about culture shock? ???‍♀️

OMG, yes! I kept saying “Then why did you take a job overseas if you don’t want to immerse yourself in another culture?” 

Was I the only one distracted by his forehead? It looked as if he had been kicked by a mule.

[Kenzie]

7 hours ago, pep4 said:

Australia to Rome:  So fake, she was living the entire time with boyfriend Luka (on the 2nd floor.)

I think you're right.

 

I usually like an Australian accent but hers had an edge ti it that was so unpleasant.

[ML89]

Finally saw London - I felt for Richard even if it was staged - wow, they were a pain in the ass. They did pick the best place, though. 

Luxembourg - I liked the apartment and the family. The kids seemed like kids even as they were coached for their comments. I'm glad they got the place with the cool backyard.

[sempervivum]

15 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

Was I the only one distracted by his forehead? It looked as if he had been kicked by a mule.

 It looked like a regular between-the-brows frown wrinkle (V shaped), but it was way up on his forehead-I thought it might be a scar.

I thought the real estate agent was stunning, as well as pretty tolerant.

[mojito]

Quote

I thought the real estate agent was stunning, as well as pretty tolerant.

I did, too. 

Nice family.

The couple wasn't at all concerned with the kids' schooling. I guess part of their being immersed in the culture includes being home schooled by Mom?

[CrazyInAlabama]

I think it was a big scar.    I bet the kids are home schooled, and that's why the mother was so concerned with being near neighbors, so the kids can have friends, and she can make some friends too.    I'm also guessing that there were other employees of the Max Planck Institute in the same building or area, because a lot of companies seem to get insider deals with complexes.  

I bet that apartment they picked was their furnished housing with the job, at least for a while.  

Edited November 21, 2018 by CrazyInAlabama

[abbyzenn]

I liked the Luxembourg family although they didn't adhere to the HH Int'l script book - no must have of a second bathroom, no whining that the place had to have a kitchen large enough for a party of 50 to sit comfortably while preparing a tray of cut vegetables or that the kitchen appliances had to be the most updated, largest, stainless steel ones just like in America,, no must of an open floorplan,  no need for a master bedroom the size of a bowling alley, the woman kept talking about the culture and history they would be exposed to and she looked forward to -- seriously haven't they watched this show????

I too wondered about the kids schooling since there was no mention of it and they looked at places in three different countries.  I guess in South Dakota you are used to driving long distances to get somewhere since the guy didn't flinch about the German house that was a 50 minute commute.

[mojito]

Spain to Australia

I wonder how the mozzies and snakes are treating that "I want to live in the bush" woman.

[sempervivum]

Malaga, Spain to Cooloola (?) OZ- I had a hard time believing the woman would be OK with a tiny basic house on stilts in 'the bush', when she couldn't stop criticizing the other 2 (IMO) much nicer places' furniture. But good for them if they can save $200 and be happy in the middle of a million trees.

[LittleIggy]

Australia: Don’t houses in Oz have screens for the doors and windows?  The artsy house (loved it) didn’t seem to have any. Screens would mitigate the need for mosquito netting for the bed.

Stiges, Spain: Scarf realtor is back!

[wovenloaf]

I liked the Sitges episode.  The two guys (Gil and Kim, I think their names were?) seemed so nice.  And were nice to each other.  They disagreed about stuff without being snotty or dramatic about it, like so many house hunters we see are.  Their demands were reasonable, and they reached a good compromise.  Plus they just seemed like pleasant, interesting people. 

[sempervivum]

Palm Springs CA to Sitges, Spain- I was surprised when, after the big build up of one guy being a film set designer and the other 'owning real estate and retail stores', they could only afford $1400 rent. I know they pointed out that it was an expensive place to live, but those city apartments were really tiny. 

[mojito]

Ditto here. Initially, I was a little surprised that they weren't buying another place. But then to see their budget and the place they got....well, it just goes to show that you never know about people's finances or how they care to handle them. 

[chessiegal]

Dear HHI - get rid of the "precious" children. They are not cute, just annoying.

[Thumper]

1 hour ago, chessiegal said:

Dear HHI - get rid of the "precious" children. They are not cute, just annoying.

Agree.  I missed why the husband was not joing the family.  Was it a temporary thing?

[LittleIggy]

54 minutes ago, Thumper said:

Agree.  I missed why the husband was not joing the family.  Was it a temporary thing?

Supposed to be. Husband was an architect and a partner in his firm. That was why he was still in Chicago. Wonder if he was going to retire or was the firm going to open a Dakar (heard Ofeibea Quist-Arcton say “DaKARRR” in my mind every time it was mentioned) branch?

The over budget one was my fave, but, after that, the furnished house was my pick. I’m sure she could hire someone to help her keep the place clean.

The “precocious” (code for “bratty”) kid grated. The real estate agent was cute.

Edited November 17, 2018 by LittleIggy

[KAOS Agent]

I don't care what story the Senegal people were peddling, they weren't staying there for more than a year or two. If there were plans to stay, they would have sold the house in Chicago and the dad could have gotten a smaller place to live while he was working on planning his move there. He was obviously financing the entire endeavor with his high powered job that required him to stay permanently in Chicago. No way would a study abroad start up (whatever that means) be even close to able to fund $3700/mo rent plus expenses. She got to do something that she enjoyed in a place she loved and her kids got exposure to West African culture. 

[Kohola3]

The dad looked quite a bit older for kids that young so I wonder if this is a second family and he's financing this to keep her around.  Seemed obvious to me that he was footing the bill.

Who knew that there were palaces available in Dakar.  That first place was enormous and I can see not wanting to have to clean it with three kids traipsing in the endless sand.  The second place was too expensive and buying furniture would be a huge amount of money.  The third place was the only logical one.

Ditch the kids, HHI, I am begging you.  While he wasn't horrible, I didn't care to hear his opinion on anything.  The whole "I need my privacy" wore thin right away.  I bet they live in some enormous place now where he has his own suite.

[doodlebug]

I agree with those who think there was more than meets the eye to the Chicago to Dakar story.  I expect that the move was only a very temporary one because, as a partner in an architectural firm, the father wasn't going to be able to live there long term unless he sold his interest or retired. Maybe that is the plan, but, if they need his income to survive, and I suspect they do; not likely to be the answer.  I also thought it was the case because the eldest son was getting his own room while the boy/girl twins would be sharing a bedroom.  That's fine for younger kids, but, in a year or two, a brother/sister sharing a bedroom is not going to work.  I wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't a 6 month stay or so, long enough for her to work on her educational project and then home again.  The fact that they were keeping their home in Chicago was also a giveaway.

The kid was annoying, it was obvious production was feeding him lines.  Stop.  Just stop.

[Pickles]

I agree with everyone about the Dakar move most likely being a brief one. I am thinking six months to a year max. They must have plenty of money to maintain their Chicago home and pay $3700 a month in Dakar. Was the wife in charge of setting up some kind of study abroad program? Would her employer have been fitting the bill? Maybe she is some big deal in higher education. I can't remember if they showed her name. If they did, I hope someone googled.

[Ohwell]

I agree with everyone about the Dakar episode.  I just wanted to add that I thought Lemine the real estate agent was a tall drink of water.

[MartyQui]

Googled the Dakar people...the program is only 9 weeks, so she was really temporary, which explains the husband’s staying behind.  She’s actually got a fascinating career, I’d kind of like to read her book.

[CrazyInAlabama]

Was the Dakar episode a HHI Family edition?  Please tell me it's not.      And that was just to get publicity for the program, and for no other reason.     

[mojito]

Odd man out, I guess. I didn't find myself questioning much in the Dakar episode. My guess is that the family will be there at least a couple years. At least these kids were actually going to live and socialize with local people. I wonder what kind of school the kids will attend? 

I liked Lemine, the real estate agent, and the boy. He was just a typical kid, I thought. His talking head was as informational as any and neither he nor his mother were obnoxious with their demands (oh c'mon, of course a kid'll want his own room, don't hate on him for that). 

"I don't have anything to do with it. I don't have money." The kid knew his place.

[Ohwell]

While the kid wasn't as annoying as some of the others I've seen, I did wonder if they were sneaking in a HHI Family episode.

Also, they kept showing shots of the obviously well-off American kids getting tennis lessons and taking what I think were beach yoga lessons, and that kinda got on my nerves, given the poverty rate in Senegal.

Edited November 18, 2018 by Ohwell

[LittleIggy]

10 hours ago, MartyQui said:

Googled the Dakar people...the program is only 9 weeks, so she was really temporary, which explains the husband’s staying behind.  She’s actually got a fascinating career, I’d kind of like to read her book.

Was the program associated with a university?

2 hours ago, Ohwell said:

While the kid wasn't as annoying as some of the others I've seen, I did wonder if they were sneaking in a HHI Family episode.

Also, they kept showing shots of the obviously well-off American kids getting tennis lessons and taking what I think were beach yoga lessons, and that kinda got on my nerves, given the poverty rate in Senegal.

 

That’s why I kept thinking “I bet you could hire someone cheap to be your housekeeper” when the mom talked about how hard it would be on her to keep the first house clean.

The kids were taking surfing/boogie board lessons, I believe.

Edited November 18, 2018 by LittleIggy