House Hunters International - General Discussion

[Tosia]

Brighton family.

Heliciptermom fersure!

Kept whining for home not too different cuz kids already making a big change moving across the pond. 

They're teenagers starting to differentiate. 

If they're too much of snowflakes in Mom's opinion, then she hasn't raised them too well...to be stronger or courageous or like adventure, or new things....IMHO. plus Mom lived there when she wad young... didn't she have a good time?

It's not like they have to learn a new language even. 

Dad had the right idea....a little rustic...ha!  Very little at $3500. It's only a year, too. 

I wd love to live in England anytime..... after C19 is tamed. 

Wish I wd have gone years ago.  

[LittleIggy]

Mexico: What part of “you can’t get all that at your price” didn’t that couple understand? That ocean view was across a busy, noisy street. 🙄

[scrb]

There must be several Cabo towns at the end of Baja California.

My recollection of other Cabo episodes was that it wasn't near a busy street.

But they probably had higher budgets.

 

[ArtFossil]

The St Thomas episode. The woman. As we used to say on Television Without Pity: I hate her with the fire of a thousand nuns. Narcissistic. Self-absorbed. Cold. I hope the man, who seems like a reasonable human, buys a place in St Thomas WITH a pool and dumps her.

[awaken]

On 3/20/2020 at 8:59 PM, scrb said:

Obviously things producers suggested that he say.

They wanted some roomy place in a convenient location and that's what they went for.

I wonder how they dealt with that bathroom with shower heads on a tall ceiling with no shower curtains.

 

Yeah, I was hoping they’d show how they ended up dealing with that particular challenge!  Also, the tiny bathroom with no door in the bedroom!   

[chessiegal]

8 minutes ago, awaken said:

Also, the tiny bathroom with no door in the bedroom!   

The need for privacy in a bathroom eludes me.

[LittleIggy]

Cabo: Haven’t they shown condos in the building that dude picked before? I like Leeroy the real estate guy. That’s one badass truck he drives!

[LittleIggy]

St. Thomas: I loved that house they picked. It was so funky. The doorways and molding were cool. I wouldn’t change much except some of the paint colors. That “pool” was weird. It must have been deep.

[Koalagirl]

St Thomas - that house was my pick too.  He seemed like a nice guy but she was insufferable.  I hope living in St. Thomas softens her edges (that seems to like so much).

[Ambrosefolly]

Why do I get the feeling that after this Corona Virus burns itself out, if new episode of HHI start back up, outdoor space and a more spacious living are going to be more valuable and being in the "hustle and bustle" of the city won't have the same appeal now that the possibility of the city serving as the kitchen, backyard and living room might not always be an option?

 

Edited April 3, 2020 by Ambrosefolly

[scrb]

Views were great but all those homes were way above the towns, through winding roads.

Would hate to have to drive all the way down every time you needed to go to the store or whatever.

Especially in bad weather.

At least the roads were paved though.  But in the Caribbean, one big storm could cause havoc.  How reliable is the power up there, for instance?

[Ohwell]

St. Thomas:  I can understand them wanting some privacy, but it looked pretty lonely up there at the top.  The wife seemed rather snooty and stuck up.

[buttersister]

Wife’s affectations were annoying, likely meant to be. I‘ave seen too many hurricanes to think beachfront living on an island is a good idea. Betting this couple will install generators and security in that place. Call it a hunch.

[chessiegal]

I was glad to see recovery on St. Thomas from the devastating hurricane (can't remember the name) The Virgin Islands are so lovely.

[ArtFossil]

Dear LaPaz Bolivia woman:

Don't move in with anyone you don't know.

Don't go off to Bolivia to live with this guy.

Dump him and build your own life.

[LittleIggy]

5 hours ago, buttersister said:

Wife’s affectations were annoying, likely meant to be. I‘ave seen too many hurricanes to think beachfront living on an island is a good idea. Betting this couple will install generators and security in that place. Call it a hunch.

Calling a room “spacey” instead of “spacious” was very annoying!

4 hours ago, ArtFossil said:

Dear LaPaz Bolivia woman:

Don't move in with anyone you don't know.

Don't go off to Bolivia to live with this guy.

Dump him and build your own life.

I wondered what kind of work they did. 

[El maestro]

La Paz couple was annoying talking about their feelings about going together.

 

there was a couple in Barcelona that did the same a mew months ago...an annoying American and his Spanish girlfriend... off the record to the American guy... ran away.

[LittleIggy]

Wales: When the wife said that the 2nd place (the one they picked) could be anywhere in the US, I was like “look out the window...I don’t think so”! That view was stunning. Nice to see kids being honest about the move.

[buttersister]

Enjoyed those kids. Their dad seemed nice, but a bad actor.

Maybe some of the HHI contestants, er, home shoppers, glom onto/hide behind their drama to cover up their own “acting!”?

[StatisticalOutlier]

I detest this trend of people having words on their walls, like "Family" or "Together" framed in the living room.  But I'll make an exception for that "duck" painted on the head-banger over the little set of steps.

 

[scrb]

That manor house that they chose in Wales, was it the whole building?

Because from the outside, that thing looked to have way more than 3 bedrooms and 2 baths.

Only for $1200 a month too!

Yeah that view was stunning, nothing like they'd see in Illinois.

 

 

[LittleIggy]

8 minutes ago, scrb said:

That manor house that they chose in Wales, was it the whole building?

Because from the outside, that thing looked to have way more than 3 bedrooms and 2 baths.

Only for $1200 a month too!

Yeah that view was stunning, nothing like they'd see in Illinois.

 

 

The house was divided into apartments.

[abbyzenn]

Wales:  That first house that the wife kept harping on seemed like the rooms were very chopped up except for the kitchen which was very large.  I can't recall another episode where they didn't even bother to show several rooms instead they eliminated that 3rd house while in they were in it.  I kept expecting to be shown another house.

This episode is also great for showing that a house isn't the only way to feel like you're in another country.  Those views from every window of that 2nd house certainly showed you were in Illinois anymore.  Any maybe getting involved in the community and what the area has to offer is a better way to know you're in Wales that sitting inside an old cramped house.

[Grrarrggh]

I don't understand at all what was so wrong with that 2nd Wales house. But I have noticed that every time the agent comes up with a compromise place both buyers absolutely HATE it. 

[scrb]

38 minutes ago, Grrarrggh said:

I don't understand at all what was so wrong with that 2nd Wales house. But I have noticed that every time the agent comes up with a compromise place both buyers absolutely HATE it. 

Wife was prodded by producers to make objections.

There was no way she preferred that other house, which is further away from her school and her children's schools, going through some rough, narrow road.

But for the purpose of drama, she wanted "traditional" and he wanted "modern" which is such an obvious scripted thing on HHI.

 

[buttersister]

Ha, asking for traditional then complaining about small rooms, no closets and no open plan never gets old.

J/K, it was born old.

[DonnaMae]

Not seeing all of that third house didn't make any sense.  It may have had a great kitchen, which was the best part of the first house.  The kitchen they ended up with was pretty small for a large family.  

 

[Grrarrggh]

6 hours ago, scrb said:

Wife was prodded by producers to make objections.

There was no way she preferred that other house, which is further away from her school and her children's schools, going through some rough, narrow road.

But for the purpose of drama, she wanted "traditional" and he wanted "modern" which is such an obvious scripted thing on HHI.

 

But they BOTH hated it for no reason. 

[NYGirl]

I was very uncomfortable watching last night's episode in Scotland.  The renter was a disabled woman with spinal bifida with 2 young mildly autistic children.  She definitely needed a first floor bedroom/bathroom and right off jump street the realtor shows her one with everything up a flight of stairs.  What part of being disabled don't you understand???  This is not a preference...it's a need.

Thankfully the next 2 had first floor bed/baths and one of them worked for her.  I was not crazy about this episode.  I felt so sorry for the renter.

[Ohwell]

Scotland:  Since the realtor had to show three properties, my guess is there wasn't enough inventory so that's why she showed the first one with the stairs.  

My thought when I saw the renter was the burden on the children looking after their mother, especially living in another country.  They had already lived in Mexico.  I hope the kids are ok.  

[Babalooie]

Scotland:  Having some hopefully temporary spinal issues myself right now, it was painful to watch the renter have to walk up the stairs in all three houses.  I kept wishing that the agent would just take photos of the upstairs and show her instead of dragging her up each time.

She definitely chose the right one.  

[LittleIggy]

4 hours ago, NYGirl said:

I was very uncomfortable watching last night's episode in Scotland.  The renter was a disabled woman with spinal bifida with 2 young mildly autistic children.  She definitely needed a first floor bedroom/bathroom and right off jump street the realtor shows her one with everything up a flight of stairs.  What part of being disabled don't you understand???  This is not a preference...it's a need.

Thankfully the next 2 had first floor bed/baths and one of them worked for her.  I was not crazy about this episode.  I felt so sorry for the renter.

Why did you feel sorry for her? She was living her life independently and bravely.

[scrb]

She must have gotten a scholarship to the university.

Otherwise, cold and wet Scotland may not be the best place for someone with such health issues.

They were moving from Merida too, so it will be quite a change.

At the end, the kids were enjoying each having big rooms but they were playing video games.  Hope they spend more time outside, when the weather permits it.

But she talked about traveling so if she had the budget for it, visit the sunny Continent as much as possible, though not right now of course.

[MartyQui]

I didn’t understand why she couldn’t use a shower seat in the shower...my sister has one that straddles the edge of the tub, so you sit on it, use your arms (if you need to) to lift your legs in, and then sit comfortably in the shower.  I borrowed it when I broke my leg, and it works really well.  My BIL wears AFOs, and he uses it too.  It’s actually more secure feeling than being in a stand-up wet shower with very little control over your lower legs.  The whole episode struck me as odd.

[LittleIggy]

Cambodia: I live in Harrisonburg, VA. Yoder is a very common name among Mennonites. Wonder if they are affiliated with Eastern Mennonite University. That baby was adorable! It was cute how everyone wanted to hold him (pre-COVID-19 days 🙁). 

[biakbiak]

I sort of got the impression that the woman in Scotland was fairly well off. She had a decent budget and supporting two kids and she made a comment that people always asked her why she just didn’t retire and move to the beach and relax and her response was that she would get bored. Those conversations dont occur with a woman of her age if people don’t know she has money. 

[seacliffsal]

I just watched the Scotland episode and I think there could have been some confusion regarding the first house as the house hunter stated she wanted her bedroom on the first floor.  The confusion would be that the first floor is called the ground floor and the first floor is what we would consider to be the second floor.  So, the first house met the requirement of having her bedroom on the first floor.  The next two houses had bedrooms on the ground floor for the house hunter.  The real estate agent stated that the rooms were on the ground floor and the house hunter responded with "yes, my bedroom would be on the first floor..."  So, really an American/European language/ reference difference.

[Babalooie]

1 hour ago, seacliffsal said:

So, really an American/European language/ reference difference.

You are right about the ground floor, but the only reason that I would say maybe not is because the prices on the international homes are always listed in dollars to accommodate the American viewers.

[scrb]

Penom Pehn:  She really wanted the nicer home with the tub but it was 60% higher than their budget.

Tub was nice but the shower was still a wet room type of deal.  

Didn't insist on AC, maybe the electricity costs would be too high.

I wonder why all these SE Asian countries have Russian markets in cities.  Maybe during the Cold War, the Russians came in and built them?

But I'm sure they also have a big Chinese community, as you'd see in Singapore and Bangkok.

 

[Grrarrggh]

5 hours ago, scrb said:

I wonder why all these SE Asian countries have Russian markets in cities.  Maybe during the Cold War, the Russians came in and built them?

Russian market is located in the south part of Phnom Penh and is known to the locals as Phsar Toul Tom Poung. The reason why it is called Russian market is because it was a popular market among the Russian expats during the 1980s when most of the western expats in Phnom Penh were Russian.

[Tosia]

Russia has had a big presence in SE Asia since US left after Viet Nam war.

 

[seacliffsal]

I know that the house hunters are supposed to keep the narrative going and criticize elements of the homes.  But, I couldn't believe it when the couple asked the realtor something like "are we going to have to climb these stairs every time we come home?"  I mean, come on, what's the realtor supposed to say to that?  Make it a statement like "I don't really want to always climb stairs" but don't ask the realtor unanswerable questions.  Just like when the husband kept asking "is this common in Cambodia?"  Well, it must be as you keep seeing it that way...

And, for me, I would have found that extra $300/month for that third home...

[StatisticalOutlier]

On 4/9/2020 at 9:30 PM, LittleIggy said:

Cambodia: I live in Harrisonburg, VA. Yoder is a very common name among Mennonites. Wonder if they are affiliated with Eastern Mennonite University.

There's got to be some connection.  They mentioned peacebuilding, and EMU has a Center for Peacebuilding and Justice.  

 

On 4/9/2020 at 9:30 PM, LittleIggy said:

That baby was adorable! It was cute how everyone wanted to hold him (pre-COVID-19 days 🙁). 

And they let the shopkeepers hold the baby while they walked around the store.  I like it.

[DonnaMae]

Does anyone know if the bearded realtor in the Brighton, England, episode is an actor?  He looks so much like someone I saw in a movie, but I can't remember the name of the movie. 🙄 

[Neurochick]

On 4/3/2020 at 12:37 PM, Ambrosefolly said:

Why do I get the feeling that after this Corona Virus burns itself out, if new episode of HHI start back up, outdoor space and a more spacious living are going to be more valuable and being in the "hustle and bustle" of the city won't have the same appeal now that the possibility of the city serving as the kitchen, backyard and living room might not always be an option?

I don't know.  The bigger the house, the more shit can go wrong.  Outdoor space means work, you have to keep it looking nice.  If you have kids however, space should be a priority. 

OT:  What I think will change after Covid-19 are relationships.  Maybe dating couples will have to ask themselves, "how would this relationship survive if we HAD to stay in the same space for weeks?"

On 4/3/2020 at 4:28 PM, Ohwell said:

St. Thomas:  I can understand them wanting some privacy, but it looked pretty lonely up there at the top.  The wife seemed rather snooty and stuck up.

I don't think either of them really knew each other either.  Whatever he wanted, she shot down.

[Neurochick]

On 4/9/2020 at 2:41 PM, LittleIggy said:

Why did you feel sorry for her? She was living her life independently and bravely.

I agree.  Bravo to her for living her life, however I would not have left Mexico because it seemed she had a very good life and had everything she needed. 

[slasherboy]

I had to laugh when the realtor in Scotland said to the Mother, "And this is the 'wee' bedroom." and the Mother asked, "What do you mean by 'we'?"

I truly admire her bravery and self-confidence for transplanting to an unfamiliar country, given several potential obstacles that she seems to manage with gracious ease.  I wish her and her children well on their journeys.

[scrb]

So maybe it's me but it seems like most of the new episodes are all set near the US, either Central America or the Caribbean.

Presumably these were filmed in 2019 or relatively recently.

That would be before they shut down production work because of the pandemic?

Going to be interesting a year or two from now where the shows are set and how often they air new ones.

[blueray]

There is probably going to be a gap unfortunately :(.

I watched yesterday's episode (I think it was new?). The family was buy a house in panama because it was cheap and they didn't have to work anymore.  I thought it was odd that they didn't even mention the daughter having to make friends. She is going to be home schooled which they said so it really limits the amount of kids she'll even see. I get that they want to spend family time but all the time? The parents aren't working so they'll just be home. Maybe this is why they ended up with the condo in the town. So the kid can make friends and there would be other things to do.

Edited April 22, 2020 by blueray

[doodlebug]

2 hours ago, blueray said:

There is probably going to be a gap unfortunately :(.

I watched yesterday's episode (I think it was new?). The family was buy a house in panama because it was cheap and they didn't have to work anymore.  I thought it was odd that they didn't even mention the daughter having to make friends. She is going to be home schooled which they said so it really limits the amount of kids she'll even see. I get that they want to spend family time but all the time? The parents aren't working so they'll just be home. Maybe this is why they ended up with the condo in the town. So the kid can make friends and there would be other things to do.

The kid is seemingly also going to need to learn Spanish in order to make said friends.  They were from Sagamore Hills, an upscale suburb of Cleveland and their home there looked pretty nice.  Still, they seemed pretty young to want to permanently retire.  In a decade or so, their daughter is going to be going away to college, then what?  I get the husband wanting to spend more time with his family, especially while his daughter was young, but he seemed way too young to not have any other goals in life.