House Hunters International - General Discussion

[azprimadonna]

43 minutes ago, LittleIggy said:

Cabo: I can’t believe they bought that shoebox. I live in a studio apartment, but it has a real stove with an oven and four burners.

That couple was blowing smoke.  If they bought that condo as their only home, I am Dolly Parton.  Husband looks like one of those wheeler dealer guys who just loses money with his bad taste.  He wanted to replace the kitchen that had  granite and stainless with what??  Formica and avocado green appliances?

Edited August 19, 2020 by azprimadonna
clarify

[TVForever]

7 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

Cabo: I can’t believe they bought that shoebox. I live in a studio apartment, but it has a real stove with an oven and four burners.

We called foul on that too. That place was a glorified hotel room at best.

[buttersister]

Speculating that shoebox was a rental for income while he searches for more flips. It is a hotel-like room he can stay in to check on what's-happening trips, and stir up margaritas. But those two aren't living there full time for any length of time. 

[Grrarrggh]

I couldn't believe they'd had that place for 3 months and Mr. Flip obsessed STILL hadn't found a place to flip. Not much of a businessman.... 

[Ms. TV]

First time contributor to this Forum…

Before I even saw the other comments about this particular show, this was the first time that I was really compelled to write in. I didn’t get the sense of these two even knowing each other, much less having been married for any length of time. Zero affection shown and they seemed entirely insincere.  Completely showed  their true colors when they settled on a house that’s smaller than my master bathroom (slight exaggeration!).

All these shows are starting to blur into each other; I totally agree with another writer about wanting to watch the show to see what the world is like out there internationally, but every single episode it seems like they’ll pick one spouse to be the be-atch and both of them saying pretty nasty things to and about each other on national television.  Even the real estate broker gets in on the act, like his job is the toughest one in the entire world because the spouses disagree with each other? Boo-hoo

I’m sorry to sound mean, but the girl in this episode did not seem even old enough to have been with this guy as long as they said they were plus I wanted to smack her hand off her hip and push her head lower (nose was literally stuck up in the air) like she was so holier than thou.  If I had to pick one of them to spend some time with, she would be the last one on this planet. Such a turn off, where do they find these people? My husband would never talk to me again if I dissed him on national TV and/or vice versa...just sayin’!

HHI, change your schtick- it’s getting really old already... same reason I stopped watching House Hunters (USA) to begin with, same routine every single show. 

[Grrarrggh]

2 hours ago, Ms. TV said:

First time contributor to this Forum…

Before I even saw the other comments about this particular show, this was the first time that I was really compelled to write in. I didn’t get the sense of these two even knowing each other, much less having been married for any length of time. Zero affection shown and they seemed entirely insincere.  Completely showed  their true colors when they settled on a house that’s smaller than my master bathroom (slight exaggeration!).

I’m sorry to sound mean, but the girl in this episode did not seem even old enough to have been with this guy as long as they said they were plus I wanted to smack her hand off her hip and push her head lower (nose was literally stuck up in the air) like she was so holier than thou.  If I had to pick one of them to spend some time with, she would be the last one on this planet. Such a turn off, where do they find these people? My husband would never talk to me again if I dissed him on national TV and/or vice versa...just sayin’!

Not sure what you were seeing.... she seemed great to me. And how does picking a tiny place show that they don't know each other? Plus, not everyone shows physical affection in public or in front of cameras. They seemed to know each other quite well. She knew exactly what he'd want to do and supported it without giving up her entire self and letting him roll over her. 

Welcome! I hope to hear more from you 🙂

Edited August 21, 2020 by Grrarrggh

[Grizzly]

Costa Rica. If they were only going to be there a year and were worried the 4 boys would trash the place, why did the wife need a healthy budget to decorate? The husband was very proud of her early academic achievements but she came across as vapid.

[Seelouis]

Wow. Ecuador. That poor woman needs sone therapy. How many times can a person say “tsunami” in 30 minutes?

[chessiegal]

45 minutes ago, Seelouis said:

Wow. Ecuador. That poor woman needs sone therapy. How many times can a person say “tsunami” in 30 minutes?

Good thing I didn't make "tsunami" a drinking game.

[seacliffsal]

When the couple in Ecuador were making their decision the wife pointed out that they would have to hire someone to clean the pool and the husband responded that in the condo they would have to pay HOA to which she responded it wouldn't be as much as paying a pool person.  What?  HOAs for condos can be crazy expensive.  I so wanted to hear what the HOA was going to be for the condo.  Of course, they probably plan to rent out the condo and there's probably an on-site office that takes care of that.  I really wish we would hear more about HOAs in general as they can really impact housing costs.

[blueray]

6 hours ago, Seelouis said:

Wow. Ecuador. That poor woman needs sone therapy. How many times can a person say “tsunami” in 30 minutes?

I think they told her to focus on something because they have to complain about something lol.

[chessiegal]

2 minutes ago, blueray said:

I think they told her to focus on something because they have to complain about something lol.

I dunno - she said she didn't even ever want to look at the ocean. let alone get in it. That's a phobia that needs therapy.

[Schnickelfritz]

1 hour ago, chessiegal said:

I dunno - she said she didn't even ever want to look at the ocean. let alone get in it. That's a phobia that needs therapy.

But remember, that little hill in front of the 3rd condo was magical and would save her from any tsunami.

Isn't her living in the condo with the peek-a-boo view of the ocean rather like a kid who covers his eyes and thinks because he can't see you, you can't see him? Does that stop tsunamis as well as that hill?

[TVForever]

This is the second Ecuador episode where the wife goes on and on and ON about not wanting to live anywhere near the water because of their absolute fear of tsunamis.

The producers/scriptwriters aren't even trying anymore.

[buttersister]

Ha, let me reassure tsunami lady. Our friend Google informs me that since 1906, in Ecuador, there have been a total of 4 tidal waves classified as a tsunami. The only one with fatalities (four people) was in 1958. Oh, Show.

[laredhead]

Re the Ecuador episode, after about the 3 or 4th time the wife said "tsunami", there was a blurb that ran across the bottom of the screen giving the last date of a tsunami in Ecuador, and it was many, many years ago.  Now I'm off to Google how many feet it was.  Wonder if you can get tsunami insurance? 

OK, just Googled it, and the last tsunami was 20' in depth. 

Edited August 27, 2020 by laredhead
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[Grrarrggh]

As someone with a serious spider phobia I can empathise with the Ecuador hunter. If she had a genuine phobia. If she doesn't, and it was all for the show, I hope her family never lets her forget it. Mentions tsunamis every time they see a wave at their ankles. 

[Sheikh Yerbouti]

Art therapist moving to Riga, Latvia to conduct academic research and connect to her family history. Interesting narrative. Riga is beautiful and the apartments seem like a bargain, considering it’s a European capital. All of the apartments were similar in design, and the attempts to distinguish them based on decor fell flat. Deal-breakers for me would have been a sixth-floor walkup, lack of oven, and small windows with an exposure that gets little light (probably nice in the summer when it’s daylight until the wee hours, but brutal during winter). I find it amusing they tried to dramatize distances in this compact city by making a 25-minute walk / 10-minute bus ride sound like an insurmountable commute. I didn’t love the university apartment as much as the city center one, but a 5-minute walk to a place she’d be every day, possibly including late evening hours in the library, was probably the smart choice.

[StatisticalOutlier]

She chose the sixth-floor walkup, right?  I don't think a word was said about it in the wrap-up, which I find odd because it would be a very big deal for most people.  Much bigger deal than the design of the bedside lamp.

They didn't show the bathroom in any of the apartments.  That's something I always want to see in foreign locations.

[Seelouis]

I thought the Riga episode was hilarious with how they tried to ramp up the conflict. It’s close to city center but not the university!  Now it’s close to the university but not the city center!  Did she want the agent to somehow change the laws of physics? 

[buttersister]

15 hours ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

She chose the sixth-floor walkup, right?  I don't think a word was said about it in the wrap-up, which I find odd because it would be a very big deal for most people.  Much bigger deal than the design of the bedside lamp.

 

LOL! Seriously, when she climbed up with nary a strain, then clicked on that lamp and dissed it, I thought we'd reached a new manufactured level of whatever on HH. 

[chocolatine]

20 hours ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

She chose the sixth-floor walkup, right?  I don't think a word was said about it in the wrap-up, which I find odd because it would be a very big deal for most people.  Much bigger deal than the design of the bedside lamp.

She said she'd lived in Brooklyn for 12 years, so she's probably used to walkups. Her bellyaching about a 25-minute walk/10-minute bus ride was totally ridiculous though. Most people living in NYC would kill to have such a short commute.

My favorite was the attic apartment that was slightly over budget. Loved the ceiling and windows. The dark bedroom would be a bonus for me; I'd sleep like a baby in that place. Definitely worth the extra $50, IMO.

[LittleIggy]

Riga: Couldn’t understand why she complained about the bedroom in one of the flats being “dark.” Um, isn’t that what you want a room you sleep to be? 🙄

[biakbiak]

28 minutes ago, LittleIggy said:

Riga: Couldn’t understand why she complained about the bedroom in one of the flats being “dark.” Um, isn’t that what you want a room you sleep to be? 🙄

My ideal bed room is a windowless cave but tons of people think I am weird and want a room full of light so then sun wakes them up! I have two layers of blackout curtains exactly so I never see light in my bedroom unless I flip a light switch.

[Bastet]

1 hour ago, LittleIggy said:

Riga: Couldn’t understand why she complained about the bedroom in one of the flats being “dark.” Um, isn’t that what you want a room you sleep to be? 🙄

The sun coming up in the morning never wakes me up (it practically takes an act of Congress to wake me up in the morning; it's in the middle of the night that I often can't get back to sleep).  I wouldn't want any room in my house to be dark during the day; it would depress me to look at.  And annoy me if I went in there to do something during the day and had to turn on a light.  (Granted, if I had to live with a sunlight-deprived room, the bedroom wouldn't be as bad as the others, since I'm hardly ever in there during the day.)

When I replaced my house's windows and realized just how many of them there are, I thought, "No wonder I like this place so much."  I like lots of natural light and fresh air.

Edited September 3, 2020 by Bastet

[biakbiak]

Okay this show has finally broken me. I can’t go forward in a world where people pay to lie down in a beehive.

[chessiegal]

That woman in, was it Costa Rica, was a nut case. Maybe because I'm a scientist and am used to dealing with facts and reality, but these people who feel a place, connect to the earth, or whatever other mumble jumble they come up with have me trying not to let my eyeballs roll out of my head. Yeah - the breath of the bees does something magical. Hey, lady, I've got a bridge to sell you.

[LittleIggy]

3 hours ago, chessiegal said:

That woman in, was it Costa Rica, was a nut case. Maybe because I'm a scientist and am used to dealing with facts and reality, but these people who feel a place, connect to the earth, or whatever other mumble jumble they come up with have me trying not to let my eyeballs roll out of my head. Yeah - the breath of the bees does something magical. Hey, lady, I've got a bridge to sell you.

The place they picked was so open. Wouldn’t it be filled with insects and such? Looked as if it would be hot, too.

[Bastet]

1 hour ago, LittleIggy said:

The place they picked was so open. Wouldn’t it be filled with insects and such?

It depends.  I have no personal experience with that particular tropical area, but I've had so many but, wait, bugs! experiences among my travels in areas where screen-less open windows are common and there turns out to be no infestation to justify my anxiety that I've long since stopped fearing it and just gone along with the local custom in terms of screens/netting in deciding how to deal with intruders.

[StatisticalOutlier]

10 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

The place they picked was so open. Wouldn’t it be filled with insects and such? Looked as if it would be hot, too.

I didn't see the episode, but my brother built a house in Costa Rica with no walls, so it's about as open as you can get.  Open to insects and critters, too.  There were nets over the beds. 

 

On 9/2/2020 at 6:34 PM, chocolatine said:

She said she'd lived in Brooklyn for 12 years, so she's probably used to walkups.

True, but sixth floor is getting on up there. 

 

On 9/2/2020 at 6:34 PM, chocolatine said:

Her bellyaching about a 25-minute walk/10-minute bus ride was totally ridiculous though. Most people living in NYC would kill to have such a short commute.

I got the impression that she did have a walkable commute in NYC, and wanted to have about the same in Riga.

My issue would be with the quality of the walk.  There are usually interesting things happening on the streets in NYC, so a 25-minute walk could be entertaining.  But a 25-minute walk in Phoenix would be mind-numbing.

[seacliffsal]

So, all of these house hunters who expect to be able to rent out rooms to help cover their expenses-does it ever work out that way?  I often think how I would never want to rent from some of the house hunters we see (and I often think how I would never want to stay in some of the homes that are really remote).  

[Koalagirl]

On 9/1/2020 at 11:42 PM, StatisticalOutlier said:

She chose the sixth-floor walkup, right?  I don't think a word was said about it in the wrap-up, which I find odd because it would be a very big deal for most people.  Much bigger deal than the design of the bedside lamp.

They didn't show the bathroom in any of the apartments.  That's something I always want to see in foreign locations.

I hope she never has a sprained ankle or breaks a leg.  Several years ago I broke my foot and had to go up only one flight of stairs that was within my garden apartment.  Not fun doing it on crutches. It was easier for me to go downstairs by sitting on my butt which at least was in the privacy of my own home. 

[amarante]

19 hours ago, seacliffsal said:

So, all of these house hunters who expect to be able to rent out rooms to help cover their expenses-does it ever work out that way?  I often think how I would never want to rent from some of the house hunters we see (and I often think how I would never want to stay in some of the homes that are really remote).  

I am wondering how the pandemic has impacted their ability to pay for homes that were predicated on income received from rentals. That is also true to a lesser extent for domestic rentals in the US of course.

I also wonder how some of the HH who bought homes are doing when their jobs were in industries really impacted by the pandemic. 

[blueray]

I watched the Columbian one. I think he already had moved in with those roommates. It seemed obvious which they usually try to hide. Also I feel like this was the first time I've seen someone who was a "house hunter" and looking at a already lived in apartment. Usually they want to be the landlord. Also he said at the very end that he ended up working anyway. Yeah, I figured that would happen.

[ML89]

On 9/9/2020 at 6:55 AM, blueray said:

I watched the Columbian one. I think he already had moved in with those roommates. It seemed obvious which they usually try to hide. Also I feel like this was the first time I've seen someone who was a "house hunter" and looking at a already lived in apartment. Usually they want to be the landlord. Also he said at the very end that he ended up working anyway. Yeah, I figured that would happen.

I know it's obsessive, but he was wearing braces - did he find an orthodontist in Columbia or did he fly back to NYC until he was done?

Also, I guess it's being older but seeing Medellin or some of the cities in Vietnam and Cambodia as places where people are moving to always throws me. I know it's now anywhere from 30 to 40 years later but still....

[biakbiak]

3 hours ago, ML89 said:

I know it's obsessive, but he was wearing braces - did he find an orthodontist in Columbia or did he fly back to NYC until he was done?

Since he was living there and I doubt he was shellong out the money to fly back every six to eight weeks I imagine he found an orthodontist. Maybe he decided to do it because a lot of dental work is much cheaper there.

Edited September 11, 2020 by biakbiak

[Dewey Decimate]

The Medallin hunter was ADORKABLE. He expressed delight at every single aspect of EVERYTHING. "This dryer is huge! It's awesome! Does it make breakfast too?!" "It's a hammock? Outside? Like, at a 45 degree angle?" He was everything that most international HHs aren't. The whole time watching him, he reminded me of a Jordan Peele character, and it wasn't until the very end that I realized he had the exact energy of the Key & Peele sketch hotel guest who is utterly amazed and delighted at every aspect of a free continental breakfast. (If you've seen it, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about! )

[LittleIggy]

Medellin: Okay, that kid was too young to be burnt-out and needing a sabbatical! 😆 I liked the one bedroom place because I wouldn’t want to have a roommate.

 

[StatisticalOutlier]

23 hours ago, biakbiak said:

Since he was living there and I doubt he was shellong out the money to fly back every six to eight weeks I imagine he found an orthodontist. Maybe he decided to do it because a lot of dental work is much cheaper there.

It's been a few years, but Mr. Outlier and I had some dental work done in Mexico, just across the Texas border.  Fillings were $25.  You know how there are a lot of women dentists in the U.S., and the hygienists are usually women?  Not where we went.  It was all young men, and good looking.  It felt like being at Chippendale's. 

The Mexican dentists cater to snowbirds.  You walk across the bridge, and it's nothing but dental offices for several blocks. 

 

On 9/9/2020 at 4:55 AM, blueray said:

Also I feel like this was the first time I've seen someone who was a "house hunter" and looking at a already lived in apartment.

I think it was the first time I've seen that, too.  It reminded me of the Roommate Hunter show they had for a while, which I didn't really like.

[javajeanelaine]

I just watched the Ecuador episode with the couple who were starting a bed and breakfast.  I feelt that the woman was thinking more about what she wanted not her customers.  The one they picked was modern and sterile without any charm, in my opinion.  I would have loved to stay at house number 3.

[biakbiak]

1 hour ago, javajeanelaine said:

feelt that the woman was thinking more about what she wanted not her customers. 

Well since she has to live there full time and her customers don’t, that’s a smart decision.

Edited September 12, 2020 by biakbiak

[Irlandesa]

2 hours ago, javajeanelaine said:

I just watched the Ecuador episode with the couple who were starting a bed and breakfast.  I feelt that the woman was thinking more about what she wanted not her customers.  The one they picked was modern and sterile without any charm, in my opinion.  I would have loved to stay at house number 3.

I disagree.   I didn't see her reasoning as personal but rather from a business perspective.  Rooms with private bathrooms are more attractive to potential customers and they can charge more.  She was also right about not wanting to hear the sounds of other guests--romantic or otherwise.  The atmosphere would wear thin after a night or two of being unable to sleep or having to wait for a toilet.

House #3 would be choice if we were talking about renting out the whole house as a vacation house to one family but for a B&B where the rooms are reserved separately, #2 was the smartest choice.

 

Edited September 12, 2020 by Irlandesa

[doodlebug]

23 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

I disagree.   I didn't see her reasoning as personal but rather from a business perspective.  Rooms with private bathrooms are more attractive to potential customers and they can charge more.  She was also right about not wanting to hear the sounds of other guests--romantic or otherwise.  The atmosphere would wear thin after a night or two of being unable to sleep or having to wait for a toilet.

House #3 would be choice if we were talking about renting out the whole house as a vacation house to one family but for a B&B where the rooms are reserved separately, #2 was the smartest choice.

 

I believe she also said that house #3 was not as close to town and it wouldn't appeal to tourists as much as a place with easy access to shopping and restaurants would.  

[amarante]

14 minutes ago, doodlebug said:

I believe she also said that house #3 was not as close to town and it wouldn't appeal to tourists as much as a place with easy access to shopping and restaurants would.  

I often wonder who is the target market for a B&B room in a beach town for a place that is out of town; not close to the scene and also doesn't even have a pool. What would be the attraction?

[StatisticalOutlier]

In one of the Ecuador houses, it looked like a big bedroom at the top of the stairs didn't have a door.  Surely I just didn't see it, right?

 

[javajeanelaine]

On 9/12/2020 at 4:03 PM, biakbiak said:

Well since she has to live there full time and her customers don’t, that’s a smart decision.

Not if they want to make money.

[biakbiak]

4 minutes ago, javajeanelaine said:

Not if they want to make money.

At the end of the day if they aren’t happy the guests won’t be either. They were looking at it from both perspectives and as pointed out they all had issues that were not ideal for either themselves or guests. Given the size they were looking for this was clearly a supplemental thing and they wouldn’t make a ton of money at any of them.  

Edited September 15, 2020 by biakbiak

[Grizzly]

Ocean Grove, Australia-worst man bun I've ever seen.

[LittleIggy]

Merida: I loved the place she picked. The kitchen cabinets were beautiful. The friend annoyed the 💩 out of me. What was their relationship that he was insisting on his own bedroom. I know it was no doubt scripted for the show, but he still annoyed me.

[TipseyGirl]

8 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

Merida: I loved the place she picked. The kitchen cabinets were beautiful. The friend annoyed the 💩 out of me. What was their relationship that he was insisting on his own bedroom. I know it was no doubt scripted for the show, but he still annoyed me.

He annoyed me too. It seemed as though he was trying to make it all about him. If he loved Merida so much, why not move there himself? He was a weirdo.

Edited September 18, 2020 by TipseyGirl