House Hunters International - General Discussion

[CouchTater]

17 hours ago, Bastet said:

When you click in the search field (the one that appears below the thread title, to the left of the follow button), you can select to search for your term(s) everywhere, this forum, this topic, etc.

That's really weird.  I don't have a search field in that location.  In fact, I have to go back to the forum home page if I want to search.  I can't search in a thread.  Maybe I should try a different browser.

I just watched the mother/daughter team in Paris.  Yuck.  I agree with the poster who said Mom's balding.  The daughter's hair looked limp and sparse, too.  And the daughter talked with her head bent to one side, as if it were too heavy for her neck (said in my best Cali/Brit/Parisian accent, natch).  🤢 🤮

Edited September 2, 2019 by CouchTater

[Johnny Dollar]

Mother and daughter in Paris may be the most insufferable and pretentious people they’ve ever had on this show. And that’s saying a lot!  Who buys an apartment in a centuries old building that appears to be leaning to one side? Not a surprise that neither one of them appears to be in a relationship. They’ll never find anyone as wonderful as each other. 

[Bastet]

5 hours ago, CouchTater said:

That's really weird.  I don't have a search field in that location.  In fact, I have to go back to the forum home page if I want to search.  I can't search in a thread.  Maybe I should try a different browser.

I have terrible eyesight, so I have my browser (Firefox) screen set at 150% (after using the site's XL theme); to see that search field, I have to reduce it to 100%.  Once I go back to the site's normal like that, it shows up.  When you click in the search box, the options come up to search just a thread, forum, etc.:

[CouchTater]

Thanks @Bastet.  It's weird, I have the search on some forum pages, but not others, including HH International:

[chessiegal]

Oy with the kids already. Stop it!!!

[Pickles]

Do not need to hear young children’s opinions of the housing options. Makes me annoyed at the kids and the parents for indulging them. 

[chessiegal]

My husband's comment was that if his kids were that bratty and obnoxious, he wouldn't put them on tv for the world to see.

[Grrarrggh]

13 hours ago, Johnny Dollar said:

Who buys an apartment in a centuries old building that appears to be leaning to one side? 

Actually that was the one bit I had no problem with. I wouldn't have bought that apartment, but not because of the leaning. There are lots of buildings like that in Europe that are perfectly safe and sound. 

[Koalagirl]

Maryland to Chile.  Ok, these kids win the award for the most obnoxious children ever.  The parents kept mentioning needing time away from their kids - she to the beach and he hiking to the mountains - and I fully understand why now.

[LittleIggy]

1 hour ago, Pickles said:

Do not need to hear young children’s opinions of the housing options. Makes me annoyed at the kids and the parents for indulging them. 

Seriously! I’ve mentioned before that, as a child, my family moved about every two years because of his job and it wasn’t to exotic places like Chile. My brother and I didn’t whine about like those brats and demand bribes. The girl was the worst. What kid her age needs a queen size bed?

[abbyzenn]

Navy dentist to Singapore:  Can't get over the budget they had.  I found the husband so annoying with his wanting to spend as much as possible - 5- 6 bedrooms - I want bling - etc.  Threw me for a loop when he whined about the first place (which they did end up getting) as being so far away (30 minutes?) from I guess his job but it was only 5 minutes from his daughter's school.  So I guess he'd rather have the six year old travel 30 minutes to school?????

Good thing the wife had some common sense.

[buttersister]

Sullivan and Shiloh in Chile! I’d watch an episode of them as house-guiding realtors to buyers on par with Paris mother-daughter! Cage match of entitlement!

[biakbiak]

The mother on the Chile looked like Diane Farr.

[Grrarrggh]

Yikes, you guys must not spend time around children. The Chile kids were, well, normal. Not especially bratty or perfect. Normal. 

[javajeanelaine]

On 8/2/2019 at 6:20 AM, Kenzie said:

I thought the realtor showed great restraint in not tossing him off the nearest balcony. He treated her like she wasn't listening, that she "didn't get it" and was holding out on showing him what he wanted. 

I just saw this Turin episode.  I was tempted to start throwing things at the tv screen.  INCREASE YOUR BUDGET, YOU UGLY AMERICAN!!!

[chessiegal]

1 hour ago, Grrarrggh said:

Yikes, you guys must not spend time around children. The Chile kids were, well, normal. Not especially bratty or perfect. Normal. 

We have 11 grandchildren and not a single one acts like those kids. To our grandchildren standard, they were brats.

[Grrarrggh]

12 minutes ago, chessiegal said:

We have 11 grandchildren and not a single one acts like those kids. To our grandchildren standard, they were brats.

I wouldn't be so sure.... Are you around them all day every day? All kids act like those kids did. Nothing they said or did was particularly bratty either. I saw humour, tiredness, typical age appropriate behaviour, and a knowledge that a camera was nearby. 

[chessiegal]

The girl wanted a Queen size bed? Not one of our 11 would ever demand such a thing. Are they angels? Of course not. But those kids were way too entitled.

Edited September 3, 2019 by chessiegal

[Grrarrggh]

3 hours ago, chessiegal said:

The girl wanted a Queen size bed? Not one of our 11 would ever demand such a thing. Are they angels? Of course not. But those kids were way too entitled.

She didn't demand anything. She made a joke.... 

[Pickles]

I really liked the Netherlands couple and the agent. I thought they picked the best place. I would have been just like the wife on the bike---eeek! Lol.

[Koalagirl]

I really liked the Netherlands couple a lot too.  They were so nice to each other - even the slightly snarky remarks were said with evident love and respect. 

[LittleIggy]

Netherlands: I liked the place with the floral wallpaper accent wall the best. Nice couple. Loved their wedding pics!

2 hours ago, Grrarrggh said:

She didn't demand anything. She made a joke.... 

I didn’t take it as a joke. I just don’t want to see the kids involved in the process on HH or HHI. 

[MsTree]

2 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

I didn’t take it as a joke. I just don’t want to see the kids involved in the process on HH or HHI. 

Exactly!! Unless or until the kids are paying for the house, they don't get a say...and I definitely don't need or want their opinion. More importantly, if I want to see kids involved in ANY process, I'll watch the Disney Channel.

[txvoodoo]

I finally saw the Notorious Max Stomps Through the Netherlands episode. 

My. Lord.

Mom: "What do you want to do for lunch?"
Max: "Eat?"

Cue parents laughing like it's the cleverest thing ever.

Repeat this 20 times.

Realtor: "Max, what do you think about moving to the Netherlands?"
Max: "Not excited."

That's when I'd leave Max on the side of the road.

I swear, they're raising a future serial killer.

[CouchTater]

3 hours ago, txvoodoo said:

I finally saw the Notorious Max Stomps Through the Netherlands episode. 

My. Lord.

Mom: "What do you want to do for lunch?"
Max: "Eat?"

Cue parents laughing like it's the cleverest thing ever.

Repeat this 20 times.

Realtor: "Max, what do you think about moving to the Netherlands?"
Max: "Not excited."

That's when I'd leave Max on the side of the road.

I swear, they're raising a future serial killer.

Once someone's child starts the snark/sarcasm/stank attitude with me I disengage, post haste.  I don't do well with that from anyone, let alone a child. I only get my snark from Primetimer!

Also, I don't have children, which might explain my attitude.

[doodlebug]

18 hours ago, Grrarrggh said:

Yikes, you guys must not spend time around children. The Chile kids were, well, normal. Not especially bratty or perfect. Normal. 

And many of us are not interested in seeing 'normal' kids on TV kibbutzing about housing options.  However, I've known quite a few middle schoolers in my time and I disagree that those kids were not bratty.  They were clearly performing for the camera and I for one, am not interested in a kid's opinion about where the family should live nor in seeing parents who apparently give equal weight to their children's preferences as their own when it comes to major financial investments.

[Kohola3]

2 hours ago, doodlebug said:

And many of us are not interested in seeing 'normal' kids on TV kibbutzing about housing options.  However, I've known quite a few middle schoolers in my time and I disagree that those kids were not bratty.  They were clearly performing for the camera and I for one, am not interested in a kid's opinion about where the family should live nor in seeing parents who apparently give equal weight to their children's preferences as their own when it comes to major financial investments.

THIS!  Had to turn off the sound for those obnoxious youngsters.  That's certainly not considered normal behavior in my little town.

[biakbiak]

I wonder where the couple from California to Amsterdam are actually from because they showed SF and a house clearly not in SF but than when he was talking about rush hour traffic he compared it to the 405 which in California means Southern California.

[Pickles]

8 minutes ago, biakbiak said:

I wonder where the couple from California to Amsterdam are actually from because they showed SF and a house clearly not in SF but than when he was talking about rush hour traffic he compared it to the 405 which in California means Southern California.

I looked at his Linkedin and it says San Francisco Bay area.

[abbyzenn]

Enjoyed the Amsterdam episode - the couple was very nice (and certainly seemed compatible) and all three places were really nice.

My DVR cut off as they were going up the stairs and he was saying he had done a surprise for her.  What was the surprise?

[Jodithgrace]

He flew her mother in. They were a lovely couple and I think they made the right choice. BTW I always record the program after HH International, because the DRV always cuts off. 

[abbyzenn]

Thanks Jodithgrace.  That's the first time it cut off on HHI.

[chessiegal]

Can y'all tell your DVR to add 5 minutes at the end so you don't get cut off? I do that with shows that regularly get cut off. 

[MartyQui]

I loved the Amsterdam couple...the apartments were nice, they were realistic about what they were going to get, and when he flew her Mom in for a visit I had a tear in my eye!

[Grrarrggh]

11 hours ago, doodlebug said:

However, I've known quite a few middle schoolers in my time and I disagree that those kids were not bratty. 

They weren't middle schoolers. One was ten, the other around eight. 

[doodlebug]

2 minutes ago, Grrarrggh said:

They weren't middle schoolers. One was ten, the other around eight. 

OK, then they were bratty elementary schoolers.  I’ve known plenty of kids that age, too, and most parents would not have put up with the attitudes that those kids demonstrated.  I realize they were showing off for the cameras thinking they were being cute; but most parents would nip that behavior in the bud long before they got to 8 and 10.  It’s not cute, it’s obnoxious.

[pep4]

Safor, Spain:  As an introvert I'd have gone with La Drova in the mountains, but get their wanting to be in town.  Lovely place to retire, and just 40 miles south of Valencia.  Cullera halfway in between is a scenic option, too.  All very affordable, coastal California at a fraction of the price. 

Rolling my eyes at the adult child's "I want my own room!"  Brother can sleep on the couch when visiting.

Edited September 5, 2019 by pep4

[Grrarrggh]

2 hours ago, doodlebug said:

OK, then they were bratty elementary schoolers.  I’ve known plenty of kids that age, too, and most parents would not have put up with the attitudes that those kids demonstrated.  I realize they were showing off for the cameras thinking they were being cute; but most parents would nip that behavior in the bud long before they got to 8 and 10.  It’s not cute, it’s obnoxious.

Would someone please tell me what, EXACTLY they said/did that was soooo horrible? Aside from being on the programme (not their fault, that's all on the producers) and joking about a queen size bed what made them so bratty? 

[Andyourlittledog2]

I thought they were  sweet kids who were uprooted unhappily to a foreign country and making the best of the situation with good humor and cooperation.  As far as taking your kids to a foreign country when they really don't want to go, I totally think that the parents do the right thing by getting the kids engaged in the move and the transition, including housing choices, so that they have some sense of control over their lives that they honestly don't have at that age. You give a kid a choice of options you find acceptable and get them on board in a less tense and more cooperative and positive way.

That said, this is all fake. All the people involved KNOW what house they are going to live in and the pretend house search is for the show. The kids aren't vetoing a housing choice in real life and everyone knows it. It's just for the cameras. Some kids act bratty but these particular children seemed normal and sweet to me. I really liked them.

However, I don't like kids on these shows. Their presence is annoying as a viewer. So I'm there with you on that part. But these kids? Were fine IMO.

The Indian-American couple in Netherlands was adorable. My favorite HHI couple ever. I loved when she said, "I may or may not be married to a person with strong opinions."  Love her.

[amarante]

I had read comments on the Chilean move and had expected the spawns from hell and found them to be completely normal very bright and actually somewhat charming. 

Moving tweens to a different neighborhood let alone a completely different culture in a foreign country is a very difficult move and the parents were absolutely correct in attempting to do everything possible so that the children felt that their needs were being met.

That aspect of the move WAS the "plot" insofar as all of these episodes have some kind of shtick to drive the narrative forward. So the children were being shown on camera as part of the process because I suspect they were part of the process. At the very end when choices were being considered, the wife said that OBVIOUSLY the final decision would be the parents but they wanted the children's preferences to be a factor to be considered. I find that to be a completely normal family dynamic in the 21st century.

I have no idea what kind of family dynamic others have but my brother and I would have for sure squabbled about rooms if we ever had moved when we were tweens and at the age when normal siblings do argue about almost everything :-).

The episode I found off-putting was the boy in Amsterdam because the dynamic with the family seemed off - to the extent anyone can judge people based on edited footage in a heightened emotional setting. I suspect he didn't want to be filmed and so that reluctance probably exacerbated his sullenness. However, I suspect that his parents in reality thought everything he did was perfection because there was nothing particularly witty or special about anything he said and his parents would act as if gems of wit and wisdom had been spoken. But really again - he just seemed like a very normal kid who was being put in an uncomfortable situation. I am 100% certain I would have been picked apart as being a "brat" or whatever if I had been filmed with my parents for a television show while we were pretending to be house hunting.

[LennieBriscoe]

On 8/29/2019 at 11:20 PM, judylo said:

I found both mother and daughter insufferable. But the daughter was worse.

Paris ^^^: I agree! The daughter's affected Generic-Euro accent was maddening!

Amsterdam: Young Indian-American couple. They. Didn't. Take. The. Canal. View.  I have no more time for these idiots.

[QQQQ]

Random question: Do you say "tall ceilings" or "high ceilings"? This doesn't bug me as much as when people say "hot water heater."

[Kohola3]

10 minutes ago, QQQQ said:

Random question: Do you say "tall ceilings" or "high ceilings"?

The walls are tall.  The ceilings are high.

[NJMom]

42 minutes ago, QQQQ said:

Random question: Do you say "tall ceilings" or "high ceilings"? This doesn't bug me as much as when people say "hot water heater."

What else do you call a hot water heater?

[Bastet]

5 minutes ago, NJMom said:

What else do you call a hot water heater?

A water heater.

[NJMom]

2 minutes ago, Bastet said:

A water heater.

I have never heard it called just a water heater. Here in NJ I have only heard it called a hot water heater.

[Bastet]

18 minutes ago, NJMom said:

I have never heard it called just a water heater. Here in NJ I have only heard it called a hot water heater.

They're water heaters (if they heated hot water, that would be redundant), so if you went on the website of companies that manufacture them or sell them, read a Consumer Reports evaluation, etc. that's how the category would be listed -- water heaters.  But a lot of people call them hot water heaters, so it's not surprising if, when you listen to people talking about them, you hear that instead at least sometimes (I have no idea if that's more common in some regions than others).

[LittleIggy]

I say “high ceilings.”

Chile: Still think the kids were brats.

Spain: I loved the place they picked. When the daughter was complaining about only two bedrooms, I said to the TV, “There are plenty of rooms to put sofa beds in!” Glad she heard me! 😏 

[rhofmovalley]

The heaters don't heat hot water. They heat cool or room temperature water.

I watch more for the food and scenery. 

[LittleIggy]

5 hours ago, Bastet said:

They're water heaters (if they heated hot water, that would be redundant), so if you went on the website of companies that manufacture them or sell them, read a Consumer Reports evaluation, etc. that's how the category would be listed -- water heaters.  But a lot of people call them hot water heaters, so it's not surprising if, when you listen to people talking about them, you hear that instead at least sometimes (I have no idea if that's more common in some regions than others).

“Hot water heater” has just become something people say like “ATM machine.”