House Hunters International - General Discussion

[aguabella]

Ooh, no, I live about 200 miles away from the closest Ikea but that sounds awesome! I will have to look for those. Thanks for the tip @aguabella!

 

Anytime, Peanutbuttercup!  So glad the information was helpful.  If you're in the market for a new kitchen, they're a terrific option.  You can easily start with the website and then, if you're interested, take in good measurements and other info to the store.  They'll happily input your info and provide a complete kitchen design.

 

If nothing else, perhaps you can score a fun weekend trip out of it! 

 

Good Luck!

[peggy06]

I just saw the Grenada medical school episode. It was one of the fakest storylines I've seen yet. Will the wife agree to move, or will she stay in Chicago with their daughter? Dun-dun-dun! It was just silly, and there was no good reason given as to why she wouldn't make the move. The closest they came was her love of city life. I don't get why a parent of a toddler has to be near restaurants, etc., in a foreign country where they don't know anybody. But that was her mantra for the show, wanting to be where "the action" is. One of the properties was on a cliffside overlooking the ocean, not exactly ideal if you have a little kid running around. They made great play of the "ideal" location and the wonderful outdoor living area. Then of course in the end, they picked the budget rental that was closest to school. I mean they made the sensible choice, but it didn't go with the supposed storyline about how she wouldn't agree to move unless they found a house that met her standards. I was kind of hating on her for asking for dumb things like a view (on a $1200 rental budget). But of course, I was making the mistake of forgetting this is all fake.

 

The guy reminded me of Jason Segal.

Edited March 9, 2015 by peggy06

[Sims Addict]

Tonight's couple was....interesting. A guy moved from Washington state to Australia to manage a baseball team. He was planning to buy a house (for a half a mil) with his new girlfriend whom he claimed in the introductory segment he really didn't know too well. I get that some men of a certain age start feeling their own biological clocks ticking (I think he was about 40), but this guy was straight over-the-top. Every comment, every response, every concern had to do with whether the house would be big enough "when they start a family", be "enough room for all their kids, "be a place they would want to raise a family." Ugh, after the tenth reference to future-time reproduction I was turned off big time.

 

They ended up choosing a small apartment that could barely fit them, much less all of the kids he...I mean, they planned to have. To no one's surprise the girlfriend, turned fiance in the followup, got her way and they settle on the city apartment she wanted. The clincher... he said he would concede buying the big house he wanted if he could name their first child. In the final shot he prods her to go off and get started on making a baby. Stab me in the eye already...

[laredhead]

Sims Addict, I thought the same thing about the guy in the Washingto to Brisbane, Australia episode.  His biological clock was running at warp speed, and yes, he said he was 40.  Could not believe they chose the smallest place.  I got the idea that she wanted a couple of years of continuing her lifestyle with a husband before having children.  That apartment is going to be too small once a child is added.  It's too small now for 2 people IMO.  He even said it was claustrophobic to him when they first walked in.  I wish they would always give square footage on the international shows.  They did for the Queenslander, which was my favorite even if it needed renovations.

[Babalooie]

The harp player with the architect husband in Japan got on my nerves with her whisper-voice and unusually long neck.  The houses were beautiful and I would have been happy with any of them. 

[laredhead]

Babalooie, I had the same vibe from the harp player.  Very odd mannerisms and found myself distracted by her rather than paying attention to the houses.  Those were some very roomy houses compared to others we have seen on shows from Japan.  Did they ever say what he did for a living.  They mentioned that she had a teaching job.  I am assuming the company she works for was giving them a very generous housing allowance because how else can a teacher afford $2500/mo+ rent.

[Honey]

I was distracted by Japan girl's blonde hair.  I was wondering the whole episode if it was real.  Boy was she a cold fish.  When her husband went to kiss her, she turned her head at the last second, so he ended up with her cheek instead.

 

He said that one closet was big enough to fit all of her dresses.  I got the feeling that she never wears pants.  She bugged.

[laredhead]

Honey, yes, the kiss at the end was another thing I forgot to mention.  That was very odd.  She was wearing a dress on the beach.  She said that her church was important to her and she hated to leave it, so I wonder if her behavior and dress was religion based.   The blonde hair was another distraction. 

[Babalooie]

laredhead,  if I remember correctly, he was either an architect or architectural student.

[buttersister]

The Ohio to Cambodia family just got re-aired. She's taken some sort of humanitarian organization job (through a church?) and he's the house husband. Ok, first thing that bugged was the subtitles for their Cambodian realtor. Except for naming a Phnom Penh neighborhood, he was easily understand, so give me a break. Next was the faux desire to live in a Cambodian-style house in a neighborhood--complete with barbed wire and locals. Really? Surprise! They went with the high-rise apartment in a neighborhood in which the only people I saw walking around were others who looked just like them. Same with the friends who came over to party at the end. Another episode of the desire to live in an exotic locale (to be "global citizens"), but all holed up in Expat Towers.

[aguabella]

laredhead,  if I remember correctly, he was either an architect or architectural student.

 

Yes, he's currently an architect but they met when he was a student. 

 

Wow, have to agree with everyone's take on that episode.  No offense to anyone but she came off as the "Church Lady".  Looked like their church party in the final scene so perhaps her school's religion-based.  That kiss was all kinds of awkward.   And it wasn't just a dress walking along the beach but heels, too!  If it works for them, that's great.

 

Wondered if their housing choice was related to his work.  The "agent" called that place a "designer" home and it seemed to be his aesthetic.  Perhaps that explains it.. 

Edited March 14, 2015 by aguabella

[Crisopera]

I thought that the harpist had the oddest, most affectless voice.  Very unpleasant.  And when she was talking about picking up gigs in Japan as a harpist  - well, good luck with that.

[JennyMominFL]

I thought it was funny that the girl moving to Japan was named Virginia. She looked and sounded like Ginny Masters on Masters of Sex

[laredhead]

Does anyone remember the HHI episode from 2010 about the couple moving from Brisbane to a waterfront house on Vanuatu?  I have been following the news stories about the destruction there after Cyclone Pam hit the island with winds of 168 mph.  I wonder how this couple fared during the storm and if their house is still standing.

[QuinnM]

 

Does anyone remember the HHI episode from 2010 about the couple moving from Brisbane to a waterfront house on Vanuatu?

 

I think I do.  Wasn't he managing the airport?  I saw film of the airport and it was just trashed but it was functional to the point that aid planes were landing.

[laredhead]

I found a snippit of their episode on You Tube and the wife was asking the real estate agent whether they had to worry about the water rising over the seawall during high tide and the agent assured here there was no problem.  They chose the waterfront house with the seawall.  I have a feeling the water their house probably sustained flooding and wind damage as well.  I don't remember what the husband's job was, but the promo said he was laid off from his job in Bribane so they moved to Vanuatu and bought a $400,000 house.  The wife also commented that she could not get fresh dairy products there and they had to learn to do without many of the things they had gotten used to having in Brisbane.

[DownTheShore]

I was wondering about how that Vanuatu family fared, too, when I heard the news about the damage from that cyclone. What a devastating blow to that country's economy, not to mention the psychological scarring of the people from seeing all that devastation. I know that I am scarred by the devastation Sandy did to my state; how much worse must it be for them.

[laredhead]

PR woman from Las Vegas to Thailand was an episode I saw last night.  Loved the definition of the Thai kitchen in the house she chose.  A 2-burner hot plate and an oscillating fan to either keep the cook cool or blow away the smoke from the cooking food.  I kept thinking about all of the HH's we see back in the states who insist on having stainless appliances.  At least their appliances are inside the house.  Cannot believe she chose the Thai style house with the see through walls, although she did say at the end of the show that she now has screens on the windows.  Her friend told her she would get used to the heat, but I have lived in south Louisiana for over 60 years, you really don't get used to the heat, you just tolerate it.  Thailand's climate is similar to where I live and we not only have temperatures in the 90's, but the humidity matches the temperature. Las Vegas HH is going to be very uncomfortable for the first year over there if here house has no A/C.  The elephant sanctuary was interesting and she seemed to be enjoying her break from her busy Las Vegas lifestyle.           

[jelley]

Yes, I was very surprised and impressed with the Chiang Mai HH that she chose the Thai house.  I think she may spend a lot of time with her friend next door in the air-conditioned classroom :)

 

Really interested in this because I plan on visiting the Elephant Nature Park in November this year!  Really excited to see so much of it on the show.

[Pickles]

The young woman moving from Ohio to India (to be with her boyfriend) on tonight's episode had supposedly known her boyfriend for only two weeks. I found her travel blog. They have lived together in Goa for two years.

[Bronx Babe]

Pickles, might you provide a link to that travel blog? I just saw this episode. The couple made a big deal out of the third choice (the one that was picked, naturally) not being equipped with generators they would need during the five month monsoon season, but in the "follow-up" never mentioned this again.

Edited March 19, 2015 by Bronx Babe

[Pickles]

Bronx Babe, the Goa girl's blog is Hippie in Heels.

[TVForever]

I checked out her blog. One thing the show did get right- she is a really adventurous sort. As someone who loves to travel, but is admittedly too chicken to travel as a woman alone, especially in the countries she frequents, I salute her! I could use some of her travel moxie!

[Bronx Babe]

Thanks, Pickles!

[Bastet]

As someone who loves to travel, but is admittedly too chicken to travel as a woman alone,

 

That's my favorite way to travel!  I can handle company on a weekend trip, or even a week somewhere with one of a few select people, but to really go exploring I want to be on my own.

 

The young woman moving from Ohio to India (to be with her boyfriend) on tonight's episode had supposedly known her boyfriend for only two weeks. I found her travel blog. They have lived together in Goa for two years. 

 

Why on earth would she agree to present herself as someone stupid enough to move across the word for someone one step above a stranger?  Is the "fame" of appearing on HH really worth that?  Granted, we've seen sillier storylines, but still.

[bubbls]

PR woman from Las Vegas to Thailand was an episode I saw last night.  Loved the definition of the Thai kitchen in the house she chose.  A 2-burner hot plate and an oscillating fan to either keep the cook cool or blow away the smoke from the cooking food.  I kept thinking about all of the HH's we see back in the states who insist on having stainless appliances.  At least their appliances are inside the house.  Cannot believe she chose the Thai style house with the see through walls, although she did say at the end of the show that she now has screens on the windows.  Her friend told her she would get used to the heat, but I have lived in south Louisiana for over 60 years, you really don't get used to the heat, you just tolerate it.  Thailand's climate is similar to where I live and we not only have temperatures in the 90's, but the humidity matches the temperature. Las Vegas HH is going to be very uncomfortable for the first year over there if here house has no A/C.  The elephant sanctuary was interesting and she seemed to be enjoying her break from her busy Las Vegas lifestyle.           

 

 

I was shocked she chose that house as well. As someone from Florida you're right about the heat/humidity. It wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't the fact that it's neverending. Anyway, I enjoyed her personality and the fact that she chose the Thai house. If you're going to relocate to experience the culture then do just that. I bet she eventually moved into a place with some AC though, having gotten the cultural experience out of her system.

[zivadanielle]

I don't know if the ep last night was a re-run or not (couple buying in Lund/Malmo area of Sweden) but it was somewhat interesting.

 

American woman and (I think) Swiss husband trying to find something accessible since the hub had suffered a stroke recently.  He was pretty young and remarkably cheerful with a good sense of humor about his situation.

 

I didn't know what the realtor was thinking showing them one apt on the second floor but the fellow was pretty much "whatever" and gave his wife his cane and proceeded to schlep up the stairs. 

 

Anyway...it was nice to see HHI getting a bit more diverse. 

Edited March 20, 2015 by zivadanielle

[TwirlyGirly]

I agree, and am waiting for them to feature someone searching for housing overseas who uses a wheelchair for mobility ....not holding my breath, though...

[biakbiak]

There actually was an episode that dealt with wheelchair issues, it was in Switzerland and the child of the couple was in a wheelchair. They decided not to go for a fabulous older home because they didn't want to mess with the historical aspects of the home by some of the changes they would need to make in order for it to work for their child so they went with a modern penthouse on one floor with elevator (their budget was huge).

[DownTheShore]

I remember that one. They did pick the place that was most wheelchair-suitable, but I really loved that older home. I would have moved there in a heartbeat.

[DownTheShore]

I'd like to see some HH/HHI episodes set in middle Canada. All we ever see of that country are the Toronto and Vancouver environs.

Ditto Japan away from Tokyo, South Korea away from Seoul, Scotland away from Edinburgh and Glasgow, and England away from the usual tourist haunts and not in easy work-travel distance to a larger town.

[biakbiak]

There have been several episodes outside of Tokyo and tons in England not near any tourist attractions. I don't actually remember a South Korea episode but there have also been a few in the countryside in Scotland.

[DownTheShore]

Those ones where they've looked outside of Tokyo, wasn't it usually that one of the spouses worked in Tokyo or its suburbs? I seem to remember only one episode where they were up in some fishing community in Hokkaido.

With the English ones, though, a lot of them have been centered around a commute to London or Ox-bridge. I think that why I'd like more oddball places is because the housing stock outside of the cities seems to be so varied, so the shows are more interesting to me.

Some of those countries they visit, the housing stock shown seems to be merely slightly different variations on the typical apartment box.

[bubbls]

I just saw the rerun of the radiologist and his part-time doctor wife from Canada buying a vacation home in Mexico. Or moving there, not sure. Wow, that woman was annoying. Those homes were awesome though.

[aguabella]

I don't know if the ep last night was a re-run or not (couple buying in Lund/Malmo area of Sweden) but it was somewhat interesting.

 

American woman and (I think) Swiss husband trying to find something accessible since the hub had suffered a stroke recently.  He was pretty young and remarkably cheerful with a good sense of humor about his situation.

 

I didn't know what the realtor was thinking showing them one apt on the second floor but the fellow was pretty much "whatever" and gave his wife his cane and proceeded to schlep up the stairs. 

 

Anyway...it was nice to see HHI getting a bit more diverse. 

 

That was a new episode.  They seemed like a nice couple.

 

TBH, it's HH/HHI so the realtor was probably thinking one of the following, IMHO:

 

1.  Hey, I told them the lift's around the corner;  guess they really, really, really want to get this rehab stuff on camera!

 

2.  How many times are you going to film my client (well, faux client, probably - it's HHI!) go up that flight w/o his cane?  You got every angle - enough! 

 

3.  Why didn't you tell me I'd lose an entire week of business?

 

4.  Sorry, Jens (husband, IIRC) - they told me to find a decoy listing w/o stairs or with stairs out of frame.  Yeah, guess I should have told them that none of my clients w/o lifts would vacate their homes to accommodate their unreasonable 12 hour filming calendar / schedule set-aside. 

 

And so on ...  sorry, just joking and JMHO!

 

Anyone else get the impression that 1 or more of those places could be rehab or assisted living facilities?  A guest facility for family members to visit?  Perhaps tptb could have highlighted that angle a little more. 

 

Wonder if they're subsidized by the government.  Well, that'd be a third rail for tptb, right?  Kinda' like religion, don't you think? 

Edited March 23, 2015 by aguabella

[TVForever]

There have been several episodes outside of Tokyo and tons in England not near any tourist attractions. I don't actually remember a South Korea episode but there have also been a few in the countryside in Scotland.

 

        I vaguely remember an episode in South Korea featuring a couple with a dog. I think it was Busan, but I can't be sure. Don't think I recall any others.

[aguabella]

 

 

Oops, duplicate post. 

Edited March 24, 2015 by aguabella

[aguabella]

Pickles, might you provide a link to that travel blog? I just saw this episode. The couple made a big deal out of the third choice (the one that was picked, naturally) not being equipped with generators they would need during the five month monsoon season, but in the "follow-up" never mentioned this again.

 

I noticed that, too.  I assumed tptb edited out the part where the guy mentioned he had a couple spare generators that he'd purchased for his previous apartment and was bringing along to the new pad, lol!  JMHO

Edited March 24, 2015 by aguabella

[joanne3482]

I am not a regular watcher of HHI (or HH for that matter) but I just watched an episode where the couple was moving from California to Florence Italy... with NO JOBS lined up. I disliked the woman so much and couldn't believe her husband was married to her for 5 years already. I got the impression that he was moving to Italy just to please her and she kept going on and on about getting in touch with her Italian roots. She came across as so pretentious and I swear he had some line about working on their marriage while there. Thanks to the power of Google I find that they only survived in Italy for 3 months before they ran out of money and had to go back to CA. The episode was from 2014.

 

I did have friends who were moving to England, for her husband's job, and they were approached by HHI. They did all the filming around their current home town but the final apartment they chose wouldn't let them film there so it fell through.

[TwirlyGirly]

The family purchasing a vacation home and opening a "franchise" of their coffee shop in Grand Caymen last night was prone to exaggeration about their home city, International Falls, MN.

 

The wife said the temp in International Falls dipped below freezing half the year; according to Wikipedia, it's slightly less than 1/3 of the year (109 days). She also said International Falls is the "coldest city in the US." Not exactly - "there are still many towns that are smaller and annually overall colder than International Falls, many of these being mountain communities in the Rockies, as well as several in northern Minnesota" :

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Falls,_Minnesota

 

Interesting little town, though - population only about 6500. The town's "claim to fame," if you will, is winning a federal trademark challenge against the town of Fraser, CO in a battle for the rights to use the slogan "Icebox of the Nation." LOL!

 

I liked house #2, but the first thing I would have done if I bought it would be to buy several dozen cans of paint; finished in all white like it was when they toured it made it look far to stark and sterile.

[TwirlyGirly]

There actually was an episode that dealt with wheelchair issues, it was in Switzerland and the child of the couple was in a wheelchair. They decided not to go for a fabulous older home because they didn't want to mess with the historical aspects of the home by some of the changes they would need to make in order for it to work for their child so they went with a modern penthouse on one floor with elevator (their budget was huge).

 

It's a bit different, IMO, finding accommodations for a family that has a child who uses a wheelchair as opposed to looking for a home for an adult that uses one, only because a child (depending upon their age, of course) usually isn't going to need to cook, do laundry, and a whole slew of other "tasks of daily living" adults must be able to accomplish on their own.

 

OTOH, it's extremely rare for other countries to allow people with disabilities to immigrate from the US, especially those countries with socialized medicine. Immigration laws make it practically impossible.

 

For example, Australia recently loosened their policy to allow some people with disabilities to immigrate, IF the migrant can demonstrate " a 'net benefit' approach where the potential costs of any medical required can be offset against what the potential migrants contribute to the Australian economy." http://www.visabureau.com/australia/news/02-11-2012/australian-immigration-law-loosens-criteria-for-disabled-migrants.aspx

[laredhead]

Joanne3482, there was a discussion about the California to Italy couple when the episode first aired.  You might be able to find comments about them previously on this thread if you are interested in what was said at the time.

[DownTheShore]

IIRC, the couple with the disabled child was there because the husband got a job transfer from Britain, so they were probably already covered under EU rules.

[blueray]

The family purchasing a vacation home and opening a "franchise" of their coffee shop in Grand Caymen last night was prone to exaggeration about their home city, International Falls, MN.

 

The wife said the temp in International Falls dipped below freezing half the yea

I saw this one too. I got a kick on how many times they had the boys say "they want to see the girls". You could tell by the end they couldn't say it seriously anymore lol. You'd think they'd come up with something else for them to say. Like we want to try water sports or something.

[CherryAmes]

I am not a regular watcher of HHI (or HH for that matter) but I just watched an episode where the couple was moving from California to Florence Italy... with NO JOBS lined up.

 

This is something I wonder about all the time.  We lived in England for a number of years for husband's job but (a) he was being sent there by his Canadian company and (b) we have something called "right of abode" because my MIL is British (it's not automatic, you need to apply for it and it costs $$ in fees but it's well worth it!).  Anyway without that right of abode I couldn't have worked while we were living there.  Yet I see situation after situation where people from the US head overseas and either don't have jobs or find jobs after they get there.  I wish HHI would explain how they manage that!  Independently wealthy?

[DownTheShore]

A lot of them seem to wind up "teaching English" out of their homes or doing some sort of internet thing, possibly without work permits?

[peggy06]

I'm sure there's some other story with the Florence couple. I was also stunned at how affordable the apartments were. $1000 a month apartments in the suburban area where I live are plain vanilla, unfurnished, with no window in the kitchen and bathroom.And they don't have gorgeous terraces or gardens. I would have jumped at that third place.

[truther]

This is something I wonder about all the time.  We lived in England for a number of years for husband's job but (a) he was being sent there by his Canadian company and (b) we have something called "right of abode" because my MIL is British (it's not automatic, you need to apply for it and it costs $$ in fees but it's well worth it!).  Anyway without that right of abode I couldn't have worked while we were living there.  Yet I see situation after situation where people from the US head overseas and either don't have jobs or find jobs after they get there.  I wish HHI would explain how they manage that!  Independently wealthy?

My assumption, with every episode, is that it's entirely fake unless proven otherwise.  The show loves to use that narrative.  Somebody gets a job overseas, warranting a move, and the spouse/partner/friend just tags along with nothing waiting for them.  No job, no friends, no knowledge of the local culture or language.  The producers must think that viewers relate well to that type of person.  Then by the end the tag-along has landed some kind of ESL or nonprofit exec position or something that just so happens to be exactly what they wanted even if in real life it would have been highly illegal.  I guess it's the same reason every house hunter always has to nitpick about the kitchen, even if they're looking at some gorgeous cliffside mansion overlooking a pristine tropical beach and in real life nobody would give a rat's ass what the kitchen looked like.  It's all about fabricating a story that resonates with the people most likely to watch these shows. 

Edited March 30, 2015 by truther

[aguabella]

My assumption, with every episode, is that it's entirely fake unless proven otherwise.  The show loves to use that narrative.  Somebody gets a job overseas, warranting a move, and the spouse/partner/friend just tags along with nothing waiting for them.  No job, no friends, no knowledge of the local culture or language.  The producers must think that viewers relate well to that type of person.  Then by the end the tag-along has landed some kind of ESL or nonprofit exec position or something that just so happens to be exactly what they wanted even if in real life it would have been highly illegal.  I guess it's the same reason every house hunter always has to nitpick about the kitchen, even if they're looking at some gorgeous cliffside mansion overlooking a pristine tropical beach and in real life nobody would give a rat's ass what the kitchen looked like.  It's all about fabricating a story that resonates with the people most likely to watch these shows. 

 

That's MHO, too.  Tptb believe it's romantic and dramatic (or believe we lowly viewers will, anyway) to up and quit a terrific job, abandoning a wonderful life and family to follow a partner overseas.  Then, if said viewers happen to read the house hunters blog after the episode airs, it turns out they'd already been living overseas for a year before the filming date and had that position overseas in advance, too!  Or, if the partner's moving to follow some freelance dream, the blog confirms he's on an 18-month corporate rotation with a monster housing allowance!

 

HH stateside seems even worse b/c they have the standard plots broken down into standard lines.  How about, "Is that fireplace wood burning?" and/or "Where are you going to put your clothes".  How many times have you heard, "Is that granite?"  Ugh!  BTW, I do not know anyone who's moved with their spouse and small children into a parents' home and/or old room for 6 months to save up for a house!  Why, oh why do I continue watching? 

 

HH/HHI, I can't quit you!

Edited March 30, 2015 by aguabella

[DownTheShore]

I split my sides laughing when the show is set in some small town in a third world country and the tagalong wife wants to live in the "city center" to be near the "shops and restaurants", and the city center that is shown on camera is some rag-tag, rundown looking assortment of buildings that you just know the woman wouldn't go near, much less eat at, at home.