House Hunters International - General Discussion

[LittleIggy]

Wow! Why did they make up so much 💩? 

[spankydoll]

On 4/6/2019 at 11:21 AM, Booklady1017 said:

I find that when these people say they want something with this sort of charm (usually old, quaint type houses), they don't think about what that really means when it comes to the type of space they would be living, lower ceilings, less storage space etc. 

Amen! I live in New England and there are a ton of homes that were built in the 1700's. I always thought that it would be charming to live in one but the floors slope, the bathrooms are tiny, you have to use window A/C units, they cost a fortune to maintain, etc. 

That fat, red faced male nurse who was shopping for a home in Ecuador was a scary mess. That poor woman.

[Ohwell]

I think most of these HHI stories are made up bullshit.

[biakbiak]

4 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

Wow! Why did they make up so much 💩? 

I mean like usual the timeline was off but that’s basically the story that was told on the show it was people speculating that this was some sort of mental break for him or a downward spiral that was off.

[Ohwell]

27 minutes ago, biakbiak said:

I mean like usual the timeline was off but that’s basically the story that was told on the show it was people speculating that this was some sort of mental break for him or a downward spiral that was off.

Well he sure acted like he was "off," at least to some of us.  We only know what they want us to see.   

In the video, he talks about how "grueling" work was in DC, and how he needed to "recharge," and taking 3 months off to explore S.E. Asia, so he did give the impression that he was stressed.   At least to me.

Edited April 7, 2019 by Ohwell

[biakbiak]

48 minutes ago, Ohwell said:

was stressed.   A

Who isn’t stressed? Stressed doesn’t mean mental breakdown or being fired from a law firm or any of the other wild speculation in this thread about him or other house hunters but I guess that’s why people watch to extrapolate from the bare bones that are given us.

[Ohwell]

2 minutes ago, biakbiak said:

Who isn’t stressed? Stressed doesn’t mean mental breakdown or being fired from a law firm or any of the other wild speculation in this thread about him or other house hunters but I guess that’s why people watch to extrapolate from the bare bones that are given us.

I never said he was fired.  I said he seemed unhinged maybe had some kind of mental breakdown and that's my opinion, and you have yours.  We can agree to disagree.  

[kirklandia]

Taking deep breaths, repeating the mantra -  "it's not a documentary, it's entertainment".  

[pep4]

Speaking of show bullcrap, in Med Life-Cascais, Portugal, it wasn't the least bit believable that a young family from California that could afford to spend more would consider living in that train station.  So 'charming' with the drunks outside your window getting on and off the train from Lisbon until after 2am.  Every night.

Also annoyed that HGTV seems to increasingly leave out the town or region in the show description.  "Family moving to Spain/Portugal/United States..."   C'mon man, Houston ain't quite the same as Seattle or NYC....

Anyway, my understanding is that Cascais is a pretty desirable area, so one could get a nice apt in a other safe neighborhoods in the Lisbon region for even less than the $300k they spent.  Good, affordable region to retire to.  It and coastal Spain are so tempting.

[biakbiak]

9 hours ago, Ohwell said:

I never said he was fired.  I said he seemed unhinged maybe had some kind of mental breakdown and that's my opinion, and you have yours.  We can agree to disagree.  

I didn’t attribute any comment to you I said specifically things said in the thread which both were said. It doesn’t appear that in life he had a breakdown but took a good paying job thst interested him in a cool new place. 

[Booklady1017]

On 4/7/2019 at 1:41 PM, SmithW6079 said:

The guy had no breakdown, nor did he need any kind of maturing. He wasn't leaving his job in Washington, DC, because of "stress." For that matter, his "new" job is probably more stressful than his old. Except for the actual move to Singapore, everything in this episode was made up. Chris Chan left Washington, DC, in 2015 to become the general counsel for RedMart, an online grocery in Singapore, which was founded in 2011. Even prior to the move to Singapore, he had been a management consultant in the US and India, and general counsel and angel investor for Silicon Valley start-ups. Once again, the real story would have been more interesting than HHI's made up bullshit.

In Conversation: Christopher Chan, General Counsel, RedMart

General counsel for tech wunderkind RedMart, Christopher Chan discusses leaving the comfort of Washington DC to join a startup in Singapore – establishing its legal department and guiding its acquisition by Alibaba-owned e-commerce giant, Lazada.

SiTF Awards: Christopher Chan

Jim Boland was the CFO of RedMart, who, as of March 2019, joined Pomelo, an apparel company in Singapore. 

Pomelo secures RedMart CFO Jim Boland

They could have just told the real story. I think that was interesting enough as you said, @SmithW6079. Thanks for sharing.

22 hours ago, spankydoll said:

Amen! I live in New England and there are a ton of homes that were built in the 1700's. I always thought that it would be charming to live in one but the floors slope, the bathrooms are tiny, you have to use window A/C units, they cost a fortune to maintain, etc. 

That fat, red faced male nurse who was shopping for a home in Ecuador was a scary mess. That poor woman.

When I see those type of homes, I think it would be fun to stay in one as a Bed and Breakfast (and I have and enjoyed it) but not want to live in one. 

20 hours ago, biakbiak said:

I mean like usual the timeline was off but that’s basically the story that was told on the show it was people speculating that this was some sort of mental break for him or a downward spiral that was off.

The real story makes him look better than this silly story that they spun to tell us.

[Booklady1017]

13 hours ago, pep4 said:

Speaking of show bullcrap, in Med Life-Cascais, Portugal, it wasn't the least bit believable that a young family from California that could afford to spend more would consider living in that train station.  So 'charming' with the drunks outside your window getting on and off the train from Lisbon until after 2am.  Every night.

Also annoyed that HGTV seems to increasingly leave out the town or region in the show description.  "Family moving to Spain/Portugal/United States..."   C'mon man, Houston ain't quite the same as Seattle or NYC....

Anyway, my understanding is that Cascais is a pretty desirable area, so one could get a nice apt in a other safe neighborhoods in the Lisbon region for even less than the $300k they spent.  Good, affordable region to retire to.  It and coastal Spain are so tempting.

I didn't get why they would want to live in that train station apartment. I was waiting for them to say, it's nice but must be too noisy to live above a train station. The area looks great and its nice to know that people can get affordable homes to retire to there. 

[ML89]

1 hour ago, Booklady1017 said:

I didn't get why they would want to live in that train station apartment. I was waiting for them to say, it's nice but must be too noisy to live above a train station. The area looks great and its nice to know that people can get affordable homes to retire to there. 

I spent one night at the hotel at Victoria Station and heard the damn bell announcing the bus arrivals all night. No way. 

[chessiegal]

My husband stayed in a hotel over the train station in Chattanooga once, with the emphasis on once.

[LittleIggy]

Bali: OMG, the hardships that poor woman has gone through. 🤦‍♀️ GMAFB! 🙄

[chessiegal]

Bali - something was totally off. When they looked at the lot there wasn’t another house to be seen. 10 months later there were lots of houses around it. Just guessing Daddy is bankrolling all of this.

[LittleIggy]

1 hour ago, chessiegal said:

Bali - something was totally off. When they looked at the lot there wasn’t another house to be seen. 10 months later there were lots of houses around it. Just guessing Daddy is bankrolling all of this.

I noticed that too. Looked more like a planned community to me. 

She was absolutely a daddy’s girl.

[Chippings]

Bali - That was one spoiled chick who obviously has never denied herself a single thing ..  And in the "Daddy Fix" atmosphere at home.  Must have 3 bedrooms to live alone, and then only half the year ?  And the pool is too small?   And what exactly do you get paid for a travel article, I wonder, and how many per year will pay for that lifestyle?  Yuck.

[biakbiak]

Ugh my biases are showing but all these cheaply made, quickly put up, “villas” that are transforming Bali and causing the  Balinese to be relocated to other islands for people coming for exocitism but still want their latte and bagel are annoying. 

I studied abroad and my thesis was about development encroachment on important temples and the impact on daily life and Uluwatu which is the area where the second house was located was a focus and the changes in the years since are insane.

They did fairly tight shots when they were actually on the property so I bet that it was of a slightly different place in the area.

I have never heard of the magazine that she folded FOAM but it sounds stupid.

Edited April 9, 2019 by biakbiak

[sempervivum]

Bali Princess- I refuse to believe she built that place for $165K.

When I first switched to this episode (missed the first minute or so), I assumed she was a trophy wife; her daddy is pretty youthful looking and he didn't really treat her like a daughter.

So her big tragedy was that she got involved with a controlling man. There was no implication that he stalked or assaulted her, so I'm guessing it wasn't all that dramatic. 

[doodlebug]

1 hour ago, sempervivum said:

Bali Princess- I refuse to believe she built that place for $165K.

When I first switched to this episode (missed the first minute or so), I assumed she was a trophy wife; her daddy is pretty youthful looking and he didn't really treat her like a daughter.

So her big tragedy was that she got involved with a controlling man. There was no implication that he stalked or assaulted her, so I'm guessing it wasn't all that dramatic. 

Yep. she spent 7 years with a guy who her father felt was controlling anyway.  And, she got laid off as editor of a magazine that no one has ever heard of.  A publication devoted to 'international photography' that only published 3 times a year.  It doesn't sound like the kind of gig that would be able to support the lifestyle she seemed to have back in LA what with surfing, travel, etc  nor one that would have given her a generous severance package.  I presume that means controlling boyfriend also probably paying most of their bills but they musn't have been married or she should've had a lot more than $200 grand to buy a home.

I agree that there was something fishy there, the fact she wanted a place for the whole family to stay and only planned to be there 6 months or less a year.  I presume it was an AirBnB situation and she is buying it for income since I doubt travel writers make much dough.  I also don't doubt that daddykins was putting up most of the cash but neither one of them thought it would be a good look for a 35 year old woman, newly single, to have to depend on her father for financial support.  There was also that baloney about how she would never, ever buy a home or lot without daddy's approval and then she did exactly that and we were supposed to buy that she was being brave and bold because she didn't go with the 'safe' choice.

I also agree that there is absolutely no way that the lot they showed was the same place where she actually built nor that it wasn't some sort of planned vacation community aimed at foreigners wanting resort style living.  No way all that land got cleared and leveled, the house got designed, built and furnished and she moved in in less than 10 months unless things were already in the works when she was supposedly house hunting.  Maybe Daddy helped with some of the design choices for her unit, but that was part of a planned development, IMO.

Edited April 9, 2019 by doodlebug

[slasherboy]

Bali:  Yeah, what everybody said.

But I could definitely spend a month or two or a year in the house Daddy built.

[ECM1231]

Why in tonight's episode is our favorite London realtor, Richard Blanco, showing homes in Malaga, Spain?

[Pickles]

Just now, ECM1231 said:

Why in tonight's episode is our favorite London realtor, Richard Blanco, showing homes in Malaga, Spain?

The real question is what is up with this couple? Moving from Branson to Spain. It was the wife’s childhood home. The husband wants to start a scuba diving business. Never mind that he rattled off numerous other random businesses they have started—carpet cleaning, selling fruitcakes, etc. Were any of those successful? Doubtful. Three children in tow who really need braces. The husband seemed like a dip. 

[pep4]

Malaga:  A pleasant surprise that London Beard is falling down to southern Spain.  I hope he does more episodes from there.  

He said that he grew up in Spain, and tries to get down there every few months.

There are large British ex-pat communities along the southern coast of Spain, so I could see him having plenty of clients.  Also makes it an easier place to retire to for English speakers while they start to learn the language.   And very affordable areas, I could see how the family would be saving money moving from the states.  Especially if much of her family is still there.

Edited April 10, 2019 by pep4

[chessiegal]

5 minutes ago, ECM1231 said:

Why in tonight's episode is our favorite London realtor, Richard Blanco, showing homes in Malaga, Spain?

He said in the beginning he grew up in, spent a lot of time in (?) Spain, still spends time there and shows property there. I think we've seen him do it before.

[Mittengirl]

I don’t think I would go on tv and brag about all the businesses that I have started, with no mention of any of them still being in operation.  Which leads most people, I would think, to conclude those businesses have tanked.

Did Mrs. Can’tHoldAJob mention an employment plan of her own in Spain?

[doodlebug]

8 hours ago, chessiegal said:

He said in the beginning he grew up in, spent a lot of time in (?) Spain, still spends time there and shows property there. I think we've seen him do it before.

Yes, we have.  I believe he's also said that he has family in Spain.  In any event, he's always delightful, wherever he is.

5 hours ago, Mittengirl said:

I don’t think I would go on tv and brag about all the businesses that I have started, with no mention of any of them still being in operation.  Which leads most people, I would think, to conclude those businesses have tanked.

Did Mrs. Can’tHoldAJob mention an employment plan of her own in Spain?

There was definitely more to the story than we heard.  They were moving from Branson, Missouri, where the cost of living isn't all that high, so they cannot be saving much by moving there unless there is family somewhere paying for it.  

I also wondered about the Dad, Mr. I Love to Start Businesses and then Abandon Them; and how he was going to teach scuba in a swimming pool in a rental.  I realize that liability issues are not as big a thing in Europe, but I cannot imagine any landlord wanting him to run a business out of a rental home, and, if something happens while the clients are in the swimming pool, I can see there being major insurance and liability problems.  From what we heard about Dad's previous business ventures, I sure wouldn't count on him to take care of the details.  I wouldn't let him teach me scuba, either.

I, too, noticed that the teen daughter, who is so excited about cute Spanish boys, is in desperate need of braces and maybe some oral surgery.  She's well over the age where a kid  with teeth like that should've started getting the work done, seems like Mommy and Daddy's bad business schemes are more of a priority for this family.

[mojito]

Branson to Malaga, Spain

I hate to discuss people's physical characteristics, but I couldn't see past the daughter's teeth either. To me it looked like she needed surgery while her brother needed braces. Those kids didn't get their teeth from this couple, it didn't seem. Hard to believe they had successful businesses and didn't address their children's dental needs. There's so much more to this story. This episode was one of those cases where the backstory and house hunters distracted me from the house hunt. Something is rotten in the state of Missouri. 

Once again, sitting behind the wheel, Richard looks like the size of a munchkin.

[doodlebug]

1 hour ago, mojito said:

Branson to Malaga, Spain

I hate to discuss people's physical characteristics, but I couldn't see past the daughter's teeth either. To me it looked like she needed surgery while her brother needed braces. Those kids didn't get their teeth from this couple, it didn't seem. Hard to believe they had successful businesses and didn't address their children's dental needs. There's so much more to this story. This episode was one of those cases where the backstory and house hunters distracted me from the house hunt. Something is rotten in the state of Missouri. 

Once again, sitting behind the wheel, Richard looks like the size of a munchkin.

Or, most likely, Mom and Dad had appropriate orthodontic care when they were growing up which is why their teeth weren't jacked up like the kids. 

[Ohwell]

I felt bad for the daughter because there was one scene of her laughing and she immediately, instinctively covered her mouth because she knew her teeth were jacked up.  She's interested in cute boys but I wish her luck with those teeth. 

[Booklady1017]

On 4/8/2019 at 11:10 PM, chessiegal said:

Bali - something was totally off. When they looked at the lot there wasn’t another house to be seen. 10 months later there were lots of houses around it. Just guessing Daddy is bankrolling all of this.

 There obviously is something more to the story. As the other poster said, I couldn't believe she was able to get a house built like that for $135,000. But am I the only one to wonder what happened to those cows, LOL?

On 4/9/2019 at 12:32 AM, LittleIggy said:

I noticed that too. Looked more like a planned community to me. 

She was absolutely a daddy’s girl.

Yes she's definitely a daddy's girl.

[Booklady1017]

On 4/9/2019 at 2:15 AM, Chippings said:

Bali - That was one spoiled chick who obviously has never denied herself a single thing ..  And in the "Daddy Fix" atmosphere at home.  Must have 3 bedrooms to live alone, and then only half the year ?  And the pool is too small?   And what exactly do you get paid for a travel article, I wonder, and how many per year will pay for that lifestyle?  Yuck.

There were a few things as you said that didn't make sense about her story. I thought she did say she wasn't going to be in the house all the time, but I wasn't sure. I didn't get if that meant she'd be in the states during that time or traveling and doing her travel writing. I was wondering how she would have the money to support herself. I didn't get the complaint about the pool and why she needed 3 bedrooms.  I'm sure if her family wanted to come there that badly, they'd work something out if she only had 2 bedrooms. She definitely seemed spoiled to get her dad to help her like that but maybe as another poster alluded to, he got something out of it.

On 4/9/2019 at 2:06 PM, doodlebug said:

Yep. she spent 7 years with a guy who her father felt was controlling anyway.  And, she got laid off as editor of a magazine that no one has ever heard of.  A publication devoted to 'international photography' that only published 3 times a year.  It doesn't sound like the kind of gig that would be able to support the lifestyle she seemed to have back in LA what with surfing, travel, etc  nor one that would have given her a generous severance package.  I presume that means controlling boyfriend also probably paying most of their bills but they musn't have been married or she should've had a lot more than $200 grand to buy a home.

I agree that there was something fishy there, the fact she wanted a place for the whole family to stay and only planned to be there 6 months or less a year.  I presume it was an AirBnB situation and she is buying it for income since I doubt travel writers make much dough.  I also don't doubt that daddykins was putting up most of the cash but neither one of them thought it would be a good look for a 35 year old woman, newly single, to have to depend on her father for financial support.  There was also that baloney about how she would never, ever buy a home or lot without daddy's approval and then she did exactly that and we were supposed to buy that she was being brave and bold because she didn't go with the 'safe' choice.

I also agree that there is absolutely no way that the lot they showed was the same place where she actually built nor that it wasn't some sort of planned vacation community aimed at foreigners wanting resort style living.  No way all that land got cleared and leveled, the house got designed, built and furnished and she moved in in less than 10 months unless things were already in the works when she was supposedly house hunting.  Maybe Daddy helped with some of the design choices for her unit, but that was part of a planned development, IMO.

You make some very good points here.

[Booklady1017]

16 hours ago, ECM1231 said:

Why in tonight's episode is our favorite London realtor, Richard Blanco, showing homes in Malaga, Spain?

I know he said that he lives there part of the time (in South of Spain?) and didn't he help another family in Spain not long ago?

Yeah, I was wondering what was up with all those businesses. I wonder how long they were able to live there considering that it seems the husband and the wife (they work together in the businesses I think?) don't have a great track record with businesses but yet they keep on doing it despite their lack of success. I didn't want to say that about the kids but you are right that they need braces.

[Booklady1017]

16 hours ago, pep4 said:

Malaga:  A pleasant surprise that London Beard is falling down to southern Spain.  I hope he does more episodes from there.  

He said that he grew up in Spain, and tries to get down there every few months.

There are large British ex-pat communities along the southern coast of Spain, so I could see him having plenty of clients.  Also makes it an easier place to retire to for English speakers while they start to learn the language.   And very affordable areas, I could see how the family would be saving money moving from the states.  Especially if much of her family is still there.

Right, that's it, Richard did say he had lived there and I heard about the large British ex-Pat communities and my brother in law's family has a vacation home there. I also saw episodes of Escape to the Continent and they were saying it's a popular place for Brits to go to retire. 

13 hours ago, Mittengirl said:

I don’t think I would go on tv and brag about all the businesses that I have started, with no mention of any of them still being in operation.  Which leads most people, I would think, to conclude those businesses have tanked.

Did Mrs. Can’tHoldAJob mention an employment plan of her own in Spain?

I got the impression that she helped her husband with the businesses but that was never directly stated, just assumed on my part. 

[juliet73]

On 4/9/2019 at 1:06 PM, doodlebug said:

I agree that there was something fishy there, the fact she wanted a place for the whole family to stay and only planned to be there 6 months or less a year.  I presume it was an AirBnB situation and she is buying it for income since I doubt travel writers make much dough.  I also don't doubt that daddykins was putting up most of the cash but neither one of them thought it would be a good look for a 35 year old woman, newly single, to have to depend on her father for financial support.  There was also that baloney about how she would never, ever buy a home or lot without daddy's approval and then she did exactly that and we were supposed to buy that she was being brave and bold because she didn't go with the 'safe' choice.

I also agree that there is absolutely no way that the lot they showed was the same place where she actually built nor that it wasn't some sort of planned vacation community aimed at foreigners wanting resort style living.  No way all that land got cleared and leveled, the house got designed, built and furnished and she moved in in less than 10 months unless things were already in the works when she was supposedly house hunting.  Maybe Daddy helped with some of the design choices for her unit, but that was part of a planned development, IMO.

It is a vacation rental:  http://balikalikubu.com

$389 per night  https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/28379593?guests=1&adults=1

[mojito]

Colorado to Costa Rica

Ho-hum episode with ho-hum choices.

I winced, though, when the wife declared that she didn't want a place that was too "local looking". 

[scrb]

3 hours ago, juliet73 said:

It is a vacation rental:  http://balikalikubu.com

$389 per night  https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/28379593?guests=1&adults=1

That's a lot.

OK, maybe divided among 6 or 7 people, it's not that bad.

I visited Bali last year.  Beautiful coasts though bad traffic everywhere and the towns are run down.

Those villas with pools and doors that open completely to the outside?

Those look great but you don't want to keep them open because of the mosquitoes.  Even if you close them, they're not weather sealed.

I got a big welt on my stomach from a bite from something that's still discolored almost 2 years since.

[doodlebug]

2 hours ago, mojito said:

Colorado to Costa Rica

Ho-hum episode with ho-hum choices.

I winced, though, when the wife declared that she didn't want a place that was too "local looking". 

I thought she said that she didn't want a kitchen that was 'too local' which I presume meant she wanted all the modern conveniences like virtually every other house hunter on this show.  She phrased it badly, but I don't think she meant it in too derogatory a way.  I get why someone would want stuff like they had at home even in another country. I am all about the flush toilets and indoor plumbing even when I visit countries where they are not standard.

So, does anyone actually believe that mom and the kids including a newborn are going to be living full time in Costa Rica while dad commutes back and forth to Colorado for his bank job?  Yeah, right.  As usual, the producers of this show think we're all stupid.  Seemed pretty obvious that they were buying the place to use on vacations while visiting family there and would most likely be staying in Colorado most of the time and probably renting out the Costa Rican apartment on AirBnB or similar for income.

Edited April 11, 2019 by doodlebug

[biakbiak]

At some angles the wife looked like Amy Schumer and at others Amy Adams. 

[tvrox]

On 4/9/2019 at 3:53 PM, slasherboy said:

Bali:  Yeah, what everybody said.

But I could definitely spend a month or two or a year in the house Daddy built.

Yeah that house looked amazing and huge! I thought when they were talking about building a house it would be smaller. And that wasn't a pool, it was a freaking river that went all around the house.

[LittleIggy]

12 hours ago, juliet73 said:

It is a vacation rental:  http://balikalikubu.com

$389 per night  https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/28379593?guests=1&adults=1

Okay, I will give her credit for the dog!

[TVForever]

LA to Budapest:

Ill be back to comment on the houses when I’ve finished the episode, but my first observation:

Is Norbert Varga a Hungarian name? He was born in Budapest ( although it seems he left early), and according to the wife, still has family ties there. But to hear him speak, I swear it sounds like a Caribbean accent. Just curious, but I bet he has an interesting personal story. I like this couple so far, and their baby is just yummy!

[Ohwell]

The only thing I found strange about the Budapest couple was the wife's insistence on a kitchen that no one else had ever used.   

[doodlebug]

2 hours ago, TVForever said:

LA to Budapest:

Ill be back to comment on the houses when I’ve finished the episode, but my first observation:

Is Norbert Varga a Hungarian name? He was born in Budapest ( although it seems he left early), and according to the wife, still has family ties there. But to hear him speak, I swear it sounds like a Caribbean accent. Just curious, but I bet he has an interesting personal story. I like this couple so far, and their baby is just yummy!

Varga or Vargas seems to be a fairly common east European surname.  I think his accent was a little wonky due to the fact that English wasn't his first language and he probably had parents who spoke it with Hungarian accents.

1 hour ago, Ohwell said:

The only thing I found strange about the Budapest couple was the wife's insistence on a kitchen that no one else had ever used.   

That was weird, who does that?  It seemed pretty obvious that it was put into the show just because there was exactly that sort of kitchen in one of their options.  As soon as we saw it, I knew that was the place they would choose.

[Booklady1017]

On 4/10/2019 at 8:49 AM, mojito said:

Branson to Malaga, Spain

I hate to discuss people's physical characteristics, but I couldn't see past the daughter's teeth either. To me it looked like she needed surgery while her brother needed braces. Those kids didn't get their teeth from this couple, it didn't seem. Hard to believe they had successful businesses and didn't address their children's dental needs. There's so much more to this story. This episode was one of those cases where the backstory and house hunters distracted me from the house hunt. Something is rotten in the state of Missouri. 

Once again, sitting behind the wheel, Richard looks like the size of a munchkin.

I am sure there is more to the story too. I was feeling bad thinking it but the kids dental issues were distracting me too. I wonder why they were not addressed. 

On 4/11/2019 at 11:54 AM, juliet73 said:

It is a vacation rental:  http://balikalikubu.com

$389 per night  https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/28379593?guests=1&adults=1

Thanks for posting.

[Booklady1017]

22 hours ago, scrb said:

That's a lot.

OK, maybe divided among 6 or 7 people, it's not that bad.

I visited Bali last year.  Beautiful coasts though bad traffic everywhere and the towns are run down.

Those villas with pools and doors that open completely to the outside?

Those look great but you don't want to keep them open because of the mosquitoes.  Even if you close them, they're not weather sealed.

I got a big welt on my stomach from a bite from something that's still discolored almost 2 years since.

I think about that too when the potential HH in different episodes are told they have these big sliding doors that they can keep the doors open but I don't see any screens, so I keep on thinking about mosquitoes and other bugs coming in the homes.

20 hours ago, doodlebug said:

I thought she said that she didn't want a kitchen that was 'too local' which I presume meant she wanted all the modern conveniences like virtually every other house hunter on this show.  She phrased it badly, but I don't think she meant it in too derogatory a way.  I get why someone would want stuff like they had at home even in another country. I am all about the flush toilets and indoor plumbing even when I visit countries where they are not standard.

So, does anyone actually believe that mom and the kids including a newborn are going to be living full time in Costa Rica while dad commutes back and forth to Colorado for his bank job?  Yeah, right.  As usual, the producers of this show think we're all stupid.  Seemed pretty obvious that they were buying the place to use on vacations while visiting family there and would most likely be staying in Colorado most of the time and probably renting out the Costa Rican apartment on AirBnB or similar for income.

That makes more sense to me to as you said. I don't see them being there year round either.

18 hours ago, biakbiak said:

At some angles the wife looked like Amy Schumer and at others Amy Adams. 

I saw more Amy Schumer. I was thinking the same thing myself.

[Booklady1017]

2 hours ago, TVForever said:

LA to Budapest:

Ill be back to comment on the houses when I’ve finished the episode, but my first observation:

Is Norbert Varga a Hungarian name? He was born in Budapest ( although it seems he left early), and according to the wife, still has family ties there. But to hear him speak, I swear it sounds like a Caribbean accent. Just curious, but I bet he has an interesting personal story. I like this couple so far, and their baby is just yummy!

Maybe he's half Hungarian on his mom's side? I didn't catch the Caribbean accent but that's possible. I liked the couple too and agree their baby is adorable.

1 hour ago, Ohwell said:

The only thing I found strange about the Budapest couple was the wife's insistence on a kitchen that no one else had ever used.   

Yeah, I hadn't heard that before.

[scrb]

The place I stayed in burned some incense.  I don't think they sprayed anything.

Didn't help.

Just consider using repellent when you go to sleep at night.

[LittleIggy]

Budapest: Re: the accent, the guy mentioned moving around when he was young.