House Hunters International - General Discussion

[sempervivum]

Why do they have 'Mexico Life' and Mexico destinations on HHI? Since I'm not interested in Mexico at all, this seems like over exposure.

[LittleIggy]

Utrecht: I wonder what kind of job the redhead (beautiful hair!) got. I thought it was hard for non-EU people to get jobs in the EU. 

[Jodithgrace]

Yes..they kept saying that she would be the bread winner, since her husband was going to school full time, but they never mentioned what she would be doing. Early on, they did mention what her profession was, but I didn't really understand it and they didn't say that she could do it remotely. I kept wondering about that throughout the episode, especially since they chose the most expensive place. 

[biakbiak]

1 hour ago, Jodithgrace said:

Early on, they did mention what her profession was, but I didn't really understand it and they didn't say that she could do it remotely. I

She’s in policy research which is definitely a location that can be done remotely. I don’t know why we were spared the “I need a dedicated work space” storyline maybe she refused.

[copshop]

I've caught two new episodes this week, and I think there is a new producer. I am enjoying the "local flavor" segments more as well as the more attention grabbing agents. They seemed just slightly more educational as well. I want to know specifics people!

Sayulita: I am normally not interesetd in Mexico either, because so often they are boring condo resorts. Sayulita looked nice, and the house were amazing. I loved how the agent kept calling the construction background guy on his BS. Of course partly why I love HHI is because I want to do just what these folks did--trade equity in my US home for an amazing place elsewhere. The wife was cute with her fear of her husband's terrible driving. If they have the kind of home in Charleston I have an inkling they have, then they absolutely could live on that income, in a small Mexican town anyway.

Utrecht: As usual, Netherlands episodes are great, and though the agent could verge on annoying, the "we're both from Ohio" bit was charming, and she also called the woman on being unrealistic about European homes. I know most of this is fake, but that they even considered that hole in the canal was a bit too far.

[NJMom]

2 hours ago, copshop said:

Utrecht: As usual, Netherlands episodes are great, and though the agent could verge on annoying, the "we're both from Ohio" bit was charming, and she also called the woman on being unrealistic about European homes. I know most of this is fake, but that they even considered that hole in the canal was a bit too far.

Utrecht has a lot of these homes down on the canals but most are restaurants and stores. It is very unique, even for Holland. I've been all over Holland since my husband is from there and Utrecht is one of my favorite cities.

[LittleIggy]

Cambodia: Even if it was staged, I didn’t like the guy pushing the little old lady for a rent reduction. Made him seem like a jerk. The $600 flat was amazing for that price. I still don’t understand what kind of business he was running. Concert promoter? 

[biakbiak]

4 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

Cambodia: Even if it was staged, I didn’t like the guy pushing the little old lady for a rent reduction. Made him seem like a jerk. The $600 flat was amazing for that price. I still don’t understand what kind of business he was running. Concert promoter? 

Haggling/bargaining is part of the culture and expected and that wasn’t even really haggling.  

[LittleIggy]

6 hours ago, biakbiak said:

Haggling/bargaining is part of the culture and expected and that wasn’t even really haggling.  

I lived in China so I know about haggling. In this case it just made the guy seem like a jerk especially since he hadn’t even seen the place!

Edited July 11, 2019 by LittleIggy

[biakbiak]

3 minutes ago, LittleIggy said:

I lived in China so I know about haggling. In this case it just made the guy seem like a jerk especially since he hadn’t even seen the place!

Clearly mileage varies, particularly when he was “haggling” for the rent he was paying. 

[Mittengirl]

I couldn’t decide if the Cambodia guy was creepy or pathetic or weird or all of the above both.

I always wonder about people who move to a country where they will always look like an “outsider” - do they ever get treated like they belong?  Or are they destined to be an outsider forever?

[eel21788]

2 hours ago, Mittengirl said:

I couldn’t decide if the Cambodia guy was creepy or pathetic or weird or all of the above both.

There was something about him that just irritated me to no end. I think it was all the "This Is My Philosophy Of Life" speeches.

[QQQQ]

Cambodia: I thought the huge apartment would have been great for bands passing through, parties, etc., and it wasn't that much more expensive than the one he chose. The whole vibe was weird.

[buttersister]

He didn’t seem like a bad guy, but the lack of obvious income source and the absolute reticence to pay $600 for a huge, modern place (didn’t buy his reason), makes me think he has a pot of cash and is staying until it runs out. Have fun, odd dude.

[Pickles]

The couple last night moving to London. The husband was beyond annoying with not wanting "a long" commute to work. To him, a 10 minute walk to the tube station and a 15 minute tube ride was too long. Of course, they went way over budget and got his 5 minute walk to work apartment. Wasn't it also up four flight of stairs? I wonder how the wife was managing that with the baby and stroller?

[Ohwell]

I didn't see the beginning so I don't know what the London husband's job was, but I can understand him wanting the shortest commute possible.  I couldn't blame him for that.  Sure, a 10 minute walk and 15 minute tube ride isn't that bad of a commute, but he did say he could spend more time with his family.  

[doodlebug]

6 minutes ago, Ohwell said:

I didn't see the beginning so I don't know what the London husband's job was, but I can understand him wanting the shortest commute possible.  I couldn't blame him for that.  Sure, a 10 minute walk and 15 minute tube ride isn't that bad of a commute, but he did say he could spend more time with his family.  

He wanted to spend more time with the family, but we're still talking about maybe an hour a day commute total.  Meanwhile, the apartment they chose that was 5 minutes walk for him had no outdoor space and the nearest park was a 20 minute walk for his wife and child.  That kid is going to be walking/running soon and is going to need to get outside and play every day, that is not going to be easy what with the stairs and the 40 minute walk back and forth.  So, it's quite possible that he will stroll home from work only to discover his wife and kid are not there but still schlepping home from the park.  His insistence that a half hour commute was too much, IN LONDON, no less, seemed kinda selfish to me though it was probably scripted.  They had a nice sized budget and saw some really great places though.

It was also kinda weird because they were moving there from San Mateo, CA and most people there are commuting at least half an hour.  I don't think they said how long a commute he had there.

I did miss seeing Richard.

[Chippings]

2 hours ago, doodlebug said:

I did miss seeing Richard.

Me too !   He had a very specific good energy which is hard to match.  

[Kenzie]

17 hours ago, buttersister said:

He didn’t seem like a bad guy

H

Yes, he seemed like a fairly decent, if odd, sort of guy. He seemed a bit old to be pursuing a rock star promoting career and his tattoos, earring and sunglasses (ugh) seemed like he was trying a little too hard to be cool. As always there's more to this story than they're telling us.

[doodlebug]

Houston to Perth:  Another supposed disagreement over number of bedrooms.  I thought it was pretty cheeky of the woman's mother to specifically tell her to find a 2 bedroom place so they could stay with them on a visit.  Unless she's contributing to the rent, she doesn't get a say in the apartment, IMO.  The fact of the matter is that her parents live in Boston, they will undoubtedly come to visit at some point.  But, even if they come and stay for a month, that means they are paying for a bedroom that isn't used over 90% of the time.  They could probably find a nice AirbN'b for less money for a few weeks than the extra bedroom would cost.

I also think, that if you're traveling half way 'round the world and getting a free place for an extended stay; a sofa bed, an air mattress, whatever would be perfectly ok too. And 4 adults sharing a bathroom when at least 2 of them aren't going to work every day is hardly a hardship and could be managed.

They did look at some nice places, the beach there is beautiful.  I'm also glad the gal found a job.  Australia has some pretty strict laws applying to foreign workers.

Edited July 13, 2019 by doodlebug

[SmithW6079]

On 7/5/2019 at 2:31 PM, biakbiak said:

I had no idea that jazzersize was still a thing.

And going strong at 50.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jazzercise-fit-at-50/

On 7/11/2019 at 5:53 PM, Mittengirl said:

I couldn’t decide if the Cambodia guy was creepy or pathetic or weird or all of the above both.

I always wonder about people who move to a country where they will always look like an “outsider” - do they ever get treated like they belong?  Or are they destined to be an outsider forever?

I found him all three. The scarves were weird, but I felt sorry for him when he mentioned friends who had died, so they were probably on the younger side.

[Pickles]

The Perth episode. I did my usual snooping and the wife/girlfriend has a job there with her same Houston company. So, all fiction about her not having a job. 

[ForReal]

22 hours ago, doodlebug said:

"...that means they are paying for a bedroom that isn't used over 90% of the time."

When my husband and I first moved in together, I very much wanted a second bedroom for guests, yes, but also so we could have some space from each other, if needed. Not sure we'd still be together now, 30 years later, if we hadn't given ourselves breathing room. 

[doodlebug]

3 hours ago, ForReal said:

When my husband and I first moved in together, I very much wanted a second bedroom for guests, yes, but also so we could have some space from each other, if needed. Not sure we'd still be together now, 30 years later, if we hadn't given ourselves breathing room. 

I absolutely get that.  However, on these shows, anyway, the househunters are always claiming they need a second bedroom for guests.  

[eel21788]

On ‎7‎/‎13‎/‎2019 at 9:35 AM, doodlebug said:

I also think, that if you're traveling half way 'round the world and getting a free place for an extended stay; a sofa bed, an air mattress, whatever would be perfectly ok too. And 4 adults sharing a bathroom when at least 2 of them aren't going to work every day is hardly a hardship and could be managed.

The place at the beach also had a really nice outdoor space that could have been used as a second bedroom when they had visitors.

[LittleIggy]

Brazil: The dad took one for the team by letting himself be presented as the guy who was more concerned about the length of his commute to work rather than his kids’ to school. At least the kids weren’t obnoxious.

[LittleIggy]

Glasgow: Geeze, those people were so picky. I got sick of the husband harping on the shape of the rooms. Then they end up renting the most expensive place which was unfurnished.

[Ohwell]

I thought the Glasgow couple was low key and not as annoying as some others.  I also liked the realtor.  I figured they'd go with the most expensive place.

[proserpina65]

On ‎07‎/‎12‎/‎2019 at 10:16 AM, Ohwell said:

I didn't see the beginning so I don't know what the London husband's job was, but I can understand him wanting the shortest commute possible.  I couldn't blame him for that.  Sure, a 10 minute walk and 15 minute tube ride isn't that bad of a commute, but he did say he could spend more time with his family.  

But in London, that short a commute is pretty fucking fantastic, and even 30 minutes is good.  Both places with short commutes were well under budget, had good space for his wife to work, and didn't require climbing multiple flights of stairs with a baby and a stroller.  Nor did they require a 20-minute walk to a park in order for the kid to have any outdoor space.  The no-commute place was way over budget and convenient only for him.  His whole attitude made me wish incurable sexually transmitted diseases upon him.  (Yeah, I know, it's fake, but do the producers have to make up this incredibly idiotic problems?)

I'm at the point where I'm about to turn off the volume and just watch the foreign apartment porn because the house hunters have become insufferable.

[Ohwell]

Lake Como:  I didn't realize you could rent a place on a $900/month budget.  I guess it's because I associate Lake Como with George Clooney's pad.  I didn't stick around long enough to see which place they picked.

[Pickles]

They picked the first place which was the husband's choice. Under budget and not in the city center. Also, a place to park the car, I believe. The wife seemed fine with it in the end. It was a short ferry ride into the city. I liked this couple.

[doodlebug]

1 hour ago, Pickles said:

They picked the first place which was the husband's choice. Under budget and not in the city center. Also, a place to park the car, I believe. The wife seemed fine with it in the end. It was a short ferry ride into the city. I liked this couple.

The show, as usual, kind of picked a non-issue to harp on.  The wife, who was not a native Italian like her husband, didn't speak Italian well, but, over the course of the show, we saw that she was working hard to rectify that.  She said she understood most everything she heard and we saw her attempting pronunciation.  She was also supposed to be home while he worked but we discovered that was only a temporary issue as she had applied for an Italian work permit which would be issued in just a few months.

Lake Como is gorgeous and they had some pretty nice places to choose from on a not-obscene budget.

Edited July 17, 2019 by doodlebug

[Irlandesa]

57 minutes ago, Pickles said:

They picked the first place which was the husband's choice. Under budget and not in the city center. Also, a place to park the car, I believe. The wife seemed fine with it in the end. It was a short ferry ride into the city. I liked this couple.

It was pretty obvious which one they picked because it looked like an actual apartment, ugly furniture and all.  Now that they start using air bnbs as decoys, I can usually tell which places are decorated for renting.

Amore.

Edited July 17, 2019 by Irlandesa

[LittleIggy]

Japan: I’ve been hoping for an episode set in Japan. That house looked funny parked on a street corner like a service station! Why bring big American furniture to Japan? Wonder what the adult daughter is going to do besides “practice her Japanese”? Apparently she has finished college. No job? The younger daughter was trying too hard to be precocious. No school for her mentioned. Can she go to school on base?

[laredhead]

This was almost an episode of HHI Family.  I don't want to hear the opinions or statements of a 7-year old.  Child comments aside, this was an interesting episode in that we got to see some traditional Japanese houses.  Their furniture looked huge, and very out of place in that house, but if you are attached to your stuff, and the military will move it for free, I guess you would cart it around the world with you.  

[QuinnM]

10 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

Japan: I’ve been hoping for an episode set in Japan. That house looked funny parked on a street corner like a service station!

There was this big sign in the parking lot for something like EXEL HOMES.  I say that was a model home.  You buy property and then buy a house from EXEL HOMES?  It wasn't an actual house for sale.

[LittleIggy]

32 minutes ago, QuinnM said:

There was this big sign in the parking lot for something like EXEL HOMES.  I say that was a model home.  You buy property and then buy a house from EXEL HOMES?  It wasn't an actual house for sale.

That’s what I thought, too, but they pretended that it was an actual option. 🙄

[biakbiak]

33 minutes ago, QuinnM said:

There was this big sign in the parking lot for something like EXEL HOMES.  I say that was a model home.  You buy property and then buy a house from EXEL HOMES?  It wasn't an actual house for sale.

It was Elk Homes and it was a model home, their website is only in Japanese.

[SpiritSong]

1 hour ago, QuinnM said:

There was this big sign in the parking lot for something like EXEL HOMES.  I say that was a model home.  You buy property and then buy a house from EXEL HOMES?  It wasn't an actual house for sale.

I wanted to reach through the tv and slap that lady going on and on and on about her stupid king size bed. I love mine too, but if you're moving to a country where the houses are small, just SHUT UP about your oversized American furniture. Or don't move at all if that's your number one priority. No wonder Americans have a bad reputation, with people like her yammering endlessly about how small everything is in a heavily populated island country.

And why do all four of them need to be in the kitchen at once? That whole family was annoying.

[LittleIggy]

I’ve always thought that if you were busy cooking, you wouldn’t want other people in the kitchen getting in the way!

[biakbiak]

7 minutes ago, LittleIggy said:

I’ve always thought that if you were busy cooking, you wouldn’t want other people in the kitchen getting in the way!

Many people like cooking together if the space allows.

[debbie311]

1 hour ago, LittleIggy said:

I’ve always thought that if you were busy cooking, you wouldn’t want other people in the kitchen getting in the way!

I'm with you. Because I'm just an adequate cook, I usually need to concentrate on what I'm doing or I'll mess up, I don't want people watching me or offering to help.  I've got an "open concept" floorpan and believe me, sometimes I wish I had a kitchen with a door that I could close.  I usually end up doing as much as I can beforehand, it's the only way for me.

[abbyzenn]

Funny someone mentioned about kitchens.  I think in the Lake Como episode it was the first time someone said they wanted a kitchen separate from the living area.  Was also surprised at the fairly low rents for the places they looked at.  Although that 3rd one had a great outdoor space, the living area/kitchen was quite small.

Glasgow:  what an odd couple - nothing so obvious but they just seemed like the type not to have any friends.  Laughed when they complained about the kitchen door - you can remove inside doors - instantly solves the problem of being hit by someone opening it.

[LittleIggy]

St. Croix: Reggie was some welcome eye candy! Dude works out! 😏 Was his husband a teacher? He was talking with several kids in school uniforms. I don’t know, but that rental renovation looks as if it could be expensive. I thought the “secret garden” (the townhouse) could be turned into a beautiful hideaway.

[StatisticalOutlier]

On 7/13/2019 at 9:57 AM, SmithW6079 said:

And going strong at 50.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jazzercise-fit-at-50/

I have a friend who's been doing Jazzercise since the early 1980s.  I fell away in 1994, myself.

But I went to a class with her recently, for old times' sake, and almost fainted when they said the drop-in fee was $20.  Turns out it's the most expensive location in the city, but still. 

.

On 7/18/2019 at 9:58 AM, LittleIggy said:

That’s what I thought, too, but they pretended that it was an actual option. 🙄

Between feeling personally insulted that the show presented that house to me as an option and having to listen to that little girl, I could watch this episode only to constantly bad-mouth it.

[Irlandesa]

On 7/18/2019 at 11:43 AM, LittleIggy said:

I’ve always thought that if you were busy cooking, you wouldn’t want other people in the kitchen getting in the way!

You wouldn't necessarily but that doesn't stop people from hanging out or "needing something in the kitchen" while you're cooking.   So I get wanting some moving space in a kitchen.  It makes more sense than needing a room for guests.

[Koalagirl]

8 hours ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

I have a friend who's been doing Jazzercise since the early 1980s.  I fell away in 1994, myself.

But I went to a class with her recently, for old times' sake, and almost fainted when they said the drop-in fee was $20.  Turns out it's the most expensive location in the city, but still. 

.

Between feeling personally insulted that the show presented that house to me as an option and having to listen to that little girl, I could watch this episode only to constantly bad-mouth it.

OMG I wished that little girl would shut up.  She’s clearly the over indulged almost change of life apple of their eye. Ugh!

[LittleIggy]

Korea: The HH said she was a school psychologist. Wonder if she got a job at the base? I’m a big sageuk fan, so I would love to visit Korea.

[nb360]

I loved this episode on South Korea! The friends were like Laverne and Shirley 🙂 I would love to know how she is liking her home and Korea.

[PennyPie18]

On 7/11/2019 at 8:44 PM, QQQQ said:

The whole vibe was weird.

Yes, that whole episode was strange. I was baffled by the ending! No bands,  or the singer playing or rehearsing.Too many odd things, like was he the young singer's manager? Did he manage the band we saw at the beginning? She wasn't an RE agent, why didn't he find a professional one to help him find a place?? All staged, I'm guessing.