House Hunters International - General Discussion

[Peanutbuttercup]

Germany-to-Greater-London-Area couple were killing me, and not in a good way, with their music at the end. Reminds me of why I avoid open-mike nights.

[buttersister]

"Chicago" to Iesi couple? For the love of anything holy. First, no way in hell they lived in Chicago. Eye-talian charm? Where will I put my big-ass BBQ? Wife suggests they pick the house that He will like with His space and His preferences? Aside from what sounded like a nervous breakdown for the wife, she got a big house with a full kitchen (that tragically wasn't as big as her giant suburban one in Illinois) and lots of room to home school, because his company stuck them in a town without an international school. I kept waiting to hear how far the husband had to drive (their only car) to work, but settled for him bragging that the dog has adapted nicely to the bidet/drinking fountain.

Edited May 1, 2015 by buttersister

[Vivigirl10]

The Eye-talian wife spoke so slowly I wondered how she managed to get one sentence out that could fit within the half hour episode.  And I wonder, did they home school?  Maybe she could have mentioned if they home schooled?  They never covered that topic but they also never addressed whether or not he needed outdoor space for his grill.  Silly people. 

[jcbrown]

She really seemed medicated. And why would you move your children to a new country and home school them, depriving them of so many great new experiences? I wonder if they were religious nutjobs.

[Ohwell]

Eye-talian wife creeped me out with her s-l-o-w talking.  She said she was a former schoolteacher.  Man, those students must have suffered, waiting for her to get a sentence out. 

[KLovestoShop]

The Mazatlan husband was a PTIA. All his bitching about stair climbing was tiresome. He didn't appear to be disabled in any way, just maybe lazy?

[biakbiak]

Eh, it was a lot of stairs and they made it seem like that was the only way to get to the house which would mean carting luggage, groceries, the kid and kid stuff up a huge hill, she also brought up her parents and them not being able to access the house. That said I am pretty sure it was made up because when they climbed to the top of the hill their appeared to be a road that curved off to the left.

[TwirlyGirly]

 

And why would you move your children to a new country and home school them, depriving them of so many great new experiences? I wonder if they were religious nutjobs.

 

Did they ever say what type of job Konrad has? I looked online and couldn't find anything. As a matter of fact, I, too thought they might be Fundiebots, but couldn't find anything linking them to that, either.....

 

Very odd family.

[abbyzenn]

Re  Chicago to Lesi family and home schooling.  If there isn't an English language school in town or nearby I would think you'd have to homeschool until they could speak Italian.  What I thought was strange was that at the end they showed the mother teaching one of the kids and asking her to write in English on one side of the whiteboard and In Italian on the other side.  Did she actually know Italian?   I would think you'd hire a local to teach that.

 

Those last two flats (including the one they chose) - both seemed to really be two separate flats not one two story flat which I thought was strange.

 

 

It was weird that there was no mention of his job - what it was

 

Funny that the comments are all on her when I thought he was the odd one. He seemed like a control freak to me.  Especially in that last scene when she gave the reasons for selecting the house they did - all seem to appease him.

[laredhead]

Just watched the Chicago to Italy episode and I now understand everyone's remarks about her speech cadence.  Her monotone and slow speech cadence almost drove me batty before the show was over.  In one house they griped because there was only one shower, but it showed a tub with a hand held shower in another bathroom, so all they needed to do was hang a shower curtain to make another shower area.  She also griped about the size of the kitchen, and then walked into the 3rd house which had what I think might have been a smaller kitchen and declare that she loved the stove and had no problems with the size of that galley kitchen.  The realtor even commented that she thought the wife would not like it.  Was kind of obvious which one they would take since the home school room was already set up like a school room and rec room.  I snorted at her insistence on pronouncing Eye-talian and getting excited about hanging laundry over the walkway in that 3rd house.  Noticed there was either a combo washer/dryer or just a small washer in the house they chose.  The capacity of those machines is not large, so a family of 6 is going to keep her busy doing laundry all day.          

[buttersister]

It'll be a nice change of pace from teaching her kids Eye-talian. Sorry, that couple ticked all my are-you-kidding-me? boxes.

[TVForever]

Before I saw this episode, I swear I've only heard that ridiculous pronunciation (Eye-talian) in the movies or TV. I'm actually hoping the producers had her to do that, because I would hate to think that she really didn't know any better.

[KLovestoShop]

Why would a couple with two kids, who don't want to live in Panama, move there? And, why move there when the husband has to fly back and forth every week for his dental practice? Why do they have to move to a foreign country so the kids could learn a new language? Haven't they heard of taking foreign language classes in school? And, do they really think the kids would be happy sharing a bedroom? The girl is a young lady and sharing a bedroom with her brother will not be a good idea. At least the husband forgot the budget and took the house with three bedrooms.

All in all, knowing the husband will not be home a lot, I think it's a stupid move.

[biakbiak]

There has to be more to the story, not suggesting anything illegal, but the notion that a fAmily from South Florida should move to Panama so their children could be bilingual in Spanish is ludicrous.

Edited May 5, 2015 by biakbiak

[NYGirl]

I just came here to complain about Dr. Dickface, DDS.  Just to save a buck he wanted the kids to share a bedroom.  I couldn't believe he wasn't even going to be there..  Then he makes a face when the wife says she is interested in keeping the kids comfortable.  After all they didn't even want to move to Panama. Why did they move there in the first place?

 

I kept wanting to slap him through the TV.

[bubbls]

There has to be more to the story, not suggesting anything illegal, but the notion that a fAmily from South Florida should move to Panama so their children could be bilingual in Spanish is ludicrous.

 

Pfffft, right, you don't have to move anywhere to learn Spanish from Orlando southward. Each time I'd go to Ikea I was one of only a few native English speakers in the place. I wasn't even trying and I was learning a new language!

[TVForever]

Tax strategy, maybe?  It certainly looks as though this family has taken steps to establish their "primary" residence in Panama. And the reasons given, as others have also said, don't seem to make sense. 

Edited May 5, 2015 by TVForever

[aguabella]

"Chicago" to Iesi couple? For the love of anything holy. First, no way in hell they lived in Chicago. Eye-talian charm? Where will I put my big-ass BBQ? Wife suggests they pick the house that He will like with His space and His preferences? Aside from what sounded like a nervous breakdown for the wife, she got a big house with a full kitchen (that tragically wasn't as big as her giant suburban one in Illinois) and lots of room to home school, because his company stuck them in a town without an international school. I kept waiting to hear how far the husband had to drive (their only car) to work, but settled for him bragging that the dog has adapted nicely to the bidet/drinking fountain.

 

Yes, they definitely didn't sound as if they'd lived in the city of Chicago, proper.  It appears they lived between Joliet and Peoria and the father works for Caterpillar.  (CAT's headquartered in Peoria, BTW.)  CAT does have overseas locations / operations, including in Italy.

[aguabella]

Did they ever say what type of job Konrad has? I looked online and couldn't find anything. As a matter of fact, I, too thought they might be Fundiebots, but couldn't find anything linking them to that, either.....

 

Very odd family.

 

???  I believe they scrubbed their FB page for privacy reasons prior to the episode's air date.  Their info was readily available from other sources, however.  (See previous post.)

 

Because they mentioned the town lacked int'l schools, I have to assume they homeschooled for that reason.  But, we do know that tptb typically exclude religious affiliations.

 

That said, I always wonder why participants sign up for HH and then expect privacy!

[aguabella]

Re  Chicago to Lesi family and home schooling.  If there isn't an English language school in town or nearby I would think you'd have to homeschool until they could speak Italian.  What I thought was strange was that at the end they showed the mother teaching one of the kids and asking her to write in English on one side of the whiteboard and In Italian on the other side.  Did she actually know Italian?   I would think you'd hire a local to teach that.

 

 

That language lesson sounded like someone teaching a few tourist words out of an old Berlitz book.  Seriously??  It was so bad that I can't help wondering if it was setup for the camera.

 

Her children will easily pick up the language simply by interacting with locals and/or other children, IMHO.  Hopefully they'll have that opportunity.

Edited May 5, 2015 by aguabella

[aguabella]

Before I saw this episode, I swear I've only heard that ridiculous pronunciation (Eye-talian) in the movies or TV. I'm actually hoping the producers had her to do that, because I would hate to think that she really didn't know any better.

 

Although it's been reported tptb involve themselves in every aspect of the show, I had to believe that pronunciation belonged solely to her.  Agree, awful, awful ...

 

She did sound medicated, however, so perhaps she was telling the truth about crying over the move.  And then you do HHI, publicizing and rehashing said move?  Why?  Why not get on with your life in Italy and enjoy it!  Whatever ...

 

Am guessing it's a CAT temporary project and she'll return to IL, soon.

Edited May 6, 2015 by aguabella

[Ohwell]

Am guessing it's a CAT temporary project and she'll return to IL, soon.

I have a feeling the Eyetalians in that town (Lesians?) will be happy when she returns to the U.S.  Dancing in the streets.

[DownTheShore]

Tax strategy, maybe?  It certainly looks as though this family has taken steps to establish their "primary" residence in Panama. And the reasons given, as others have also said, don't seem to make sense. 

Either that, or he's got a lawsuit about to hit and wants to get his assets legally overseas, and his family out of the public eye. Unless maybe one of the kids was starting to hang around with a group of kids the parents had qualms about, and they wanted to nip that potential problem in the bud?  The girl looked about to enter her teen years, didn't she?

 

Something is definitely up with them. Flying back and forth to Florida every week makes no sense, and there was no indication that he was planning to transfer his practice to Panama, was there? 

 

I wonder if maybe he plans on getting in on the ground floor regarding English-speaking dentists in Cuba for the American tourist trade once the barriers really come down, and Panamanian residency will help that?

Edited May 6, 2015 by DownTheShore

[Babalooie]

I was here to say the same thing about the dentist moving his family to Panama.  Psssst, you're in FLORIDA where Spanish is everywhere.  Stupid episode.  He probably has a girlfriend and wants to get his family far away so he can gradually have weekends where he "just can't make it".  I just don't get it.

 

I like the tax evasion theories, too.

[biakbiak]

So I know the shows are all fake but good lord editors have some pride! The Chicago to Albany family reveal was just sad. They showed the daughter at the art show "3 months later" which whatever, then they showed her and her brother in their room with yellow walls and a blue painting in the hallway but then they cut to the family "skyping" her she was in the room with yellow walls and blue in the background and her and her brother wearing the exact same clothes. So poorly done and completely unnecessary.

Edited May 6, 2015 by biakbiak

[TVForever]

So I know the shows are all fake but good lord editors have some pride! The Chicago to Albany family reveal was just sad. They showed the daughter at the art show "3 months later" which whatever, then they showed her and her brother in their room with yellow walls and a blue painting in the hallway but then they cut to the family "skyping" her she was in the room with yellow walls and blue in the background and her and her brother wearing the exact same clothes. So poorly done and completely unnecessary.

Okay, as soon as I read your comment, I had to go and watch the episode (on my DVR). Gee whiz. Did the producers not think this would be noticed? And you're right, why bother with the ruse? 

[NYGirl]

That Albania episode was very weird to begin with.  I can't understand why they would have a 3 bedroom apt and yet still have the children share a bedroom. They were not very young..  I'm glad they chose that one though.  I'm still amazed at the $400 a month rent...wow!

[BBDi]

I just came here to complain about Dr. Dickface, DDS.  Just to save a buck he wanted the kids to share a bedroom.  I couldn't believe he wasn't even going to be there..  Then he makes a face when the wife says she is interested in keeping the kids comfortable.  After all they didn't even want to move to Panama. Why did they move there in the first place?

 

I kept wanting to slap him through the TV.

Something was really off in that whole scenario. If all he wanted was for the kids to learn Spanish and experience another culture why not just get a vacation home somewhere closer and spend weekends and vacations there? (And as others have suggested, it's not like they can't find Spanish classes and Spanish speakers in Florida!)

 

Is he going to stay in their house in Florida during the week by himself and then make his wife and kids live in a cramped home (per his original plan, anyway) in a foreign country? What the hell.

 

It just made no sense. Perhaps someone else's suggestion that he wants to establish residency there for some reason? Can't be anything too nefarious, or why would he want to put it all over TV. Hmmm.

[NYGirl]

We need aguabella's insight.

[JasmineFlower]

The Canadian-Danish couple were real interesting tonight. Did they realize how much of their business they were putting out there with this episode? It was a lot more than just some house hunting, it was like they mixed just a tad bit of house hunting with a ton of their couples counseling sessions. It was a bit strange how open they were and I'm guessing she's not thinking she's coming away from this looking that bad. But I'm fairly certain she was greedy as hell the first time around, insisting on them living the good life they couldn't afford and running him into the ground financially and losing him in the process because he just couldn't take it anymore. I have no idea if they wanted to show that on the episode, but it's basically what we got. I don't know much about their kids, but I know the wife is swayed by pretty things, that she's much happier with prettier surroundings and lights up if something is expensive. Yikes! I hope it works this time but after all that, can't say I'm overly optimistic but I'm wishing him and the kids the best.

 

 

As for the doesn't make sense in Panama episode. I agree, it didn't, but I was also a bit confused at first because who needs to move out of Florida to be around a Spanish-speaking population? No sense for sure. My thought initially was that he was working down there. I don't know enough about Panama's market, but in Costa Rica and Mexico for sure (and Panama seems like a logical possibility), there is a booming dental tourism industry and I was wondering if he was moving there to capitalize on it. But, it sounds like he's doing really well in the U.S. essentially able to float upwards of $8000/month in mortgage/rent for two residences, so I'm not sure I get it either and I'm out of ideas also beyond that.

Edited May 7, 2015 by JasmineFlower

[biakbiak]

The Canadian-Danish couple were real interesting tonight. Did they realize how much of their business they were putting out there with this episode? It was a lot more than just some house hunting, it was like they mixed just a tad bit of house hunting with a ton of their couples counseling sessions. It was a bit strange how open they were and I'm guessing she's not thinking she's coming away from this looking that bad. But I'm fairly certain she was greedy as hell the first time around, insisting on them living the good life they couldn't afford and running him into the ground financially and losing him in the process because he just couldn't take it anymore. I have no idea if they wanted to show that on the episode, but it's basically what we got. I don't know much about their kids, but I know the wife is swayed by pretty things, that she's much happier with prettier surroundings and lights up if something is expensive. Yikes! I hope it works this time but after all that, can't say I'm overly optimistic but I'm wishing him and the kids the best.

 

 

As for the doesn't make sense in Panama episode. I agree, it didn't, but I was also a bit confused at first because who needs to move out of Florida to be around a Spanish-speaking population? No sense for sure. My thought initially was that he was working down there. I don't know enough about Panama's market, but in Costa Rica and Mexico for sure (and Panama seems like a logical possibility), there is a booming dental tourism industry and I was wondering if he was moving there to capitalize on it. But, it sounds like he's doing really well in the U.S. essentially able to float upwards of $8000/month in mortgage/rent for two residences, so I'm not sure I get it either and I'm out of ideas also beyond that.

Interesting I got the exact opposite impression of who wanted the expensive house the first time around. It was mentioned that the last house that was sold (not the one they lost) was hers and he mentioned in a talking head that buying an expensive house wasn't worth losing her again. Yes, she gushed over the expensive place but so did he and the house they ended up with was more her style. I was curious if the son was both of theirs because he looked a lot like the husband but was 18 and she mentioned their 14 years of ups and downs and only she mentioned being sad about eaving him.

I do agree that they both revealed a lot and thought they should buy the cheapest place and invest in therapy for the family.

[TVForever]

That (Canada to Denmark) was the first episode in my memory that was somewhat uncomfortable to watch for reasons that had less to do with the actual house search than with the couple's dynamic. I hope everything's going well for them.

[BBDi]

The Canadian-Danish couple were real interesting tonight. Did they realize how much of their business they were putting out there with this episode? It was a lot more than just some house hunting, it was like they mixed just a tad bit of house hunting with a ton of their couples counseling sessions. It was a bit strange how open they were and I'm guessing she's not thinking she's coming away from this looking that bad. But I'm fairly certain she was greedy as hell the first time around, insisting on them living the good life they couldn't afford and running him into the ground financially and losing him in the process because he just couldn't take it anymore. I have no idea if they wanted to show that on the episode, but it's basically what we got. I don't know much about their kids, but I know the wife is swayed by pretty things, that she's much happier with prettier surroundings and lights up if something is expensive. Yikes! I hope it works this time but after all that, can't say I'm overly optimistic but I'm wishing him and the kids the best.

 

 

As for the doesn't make sense in Panama episode. I agree, it didn't, but I was also a bit confused at first because who needs to move out of Florida to be around a Spanish-speaking population? No sense for sure. My thought initially was that he was working down there. I don't know enough about Panama's market, but in Costa Rica and Mexico for sure (and Panama seems like a logical possibility), there is a booming dental tourism industry and I was wondering if he was moving there to capitalize on it. But, it sounds like he's doing really well in the U.S. essentially able to float upwards of $8000/month in mortgage/rent for two residences, so I'm not sure I get it either and I'm out of ideas also beyond that.

 

I guess it would make sense if he is trying to establish a practice in Panama while still maintaining his practice in Fl, with the view of transitioning over to working completely in Panama. That way the wife and kids would already be comfortably settled in when he moves his business over.

 

I guess it wouldn't bug me so much if he didn't seem like an arrogant, controlling bastard.

[JasmineFlower]

Interesting I got the exact opposite impression of who wanted the expensive house the first time around. It was mentioned that the last house that was sold (not the one they lost) was hers and he mentioned in a talking head that buying an expensive house wasn't worth losing her again. Yes, she gushed over the expensive place but so did he and the house they ended up with was more her style. I was curious if the son was both of theirs because he looked a lot like the husband but was 18 and she mentioned their 14 years of ups and downs and only she mentioned being sad about eaving him.

I do agree that they both revealed a lot and thought they should buy the cheapest place and invest in therapy for the family.

 

I still think it was her that was pushing for the expensive house and living above their means. The house that sold makes sense that it was hers since they were split for years and it seems clear the kids were living with her, so I'm sure he moved into her house when they remarried. He also said that they moved from a smaller house to a larger house that was really more than they could afford and disagreements about money led to their major problems, that's what he meant about buying an expensive house, not that it was just him that bought it. So, yeah, I'm still think it was her, there was enough said that it seemed she was the one who wanted expensive things and him trying to make her happy and not him trying to keep up with the Joneses.

 

I agree it was uncomfortable to watch. It has been a while since I watched one this uncomfortable, but not too long ago. There always seems one right around the corner on HHI. They were better than the normal cautionary tales though because they'd been together before for a long time, it just hadn't worked out, hopefully it does this time.

 

I was wondering about the son too, but decided it was unlikely he was his son. They said 14 years, the daughter is 14. The son is going to college and 18, and his name is Hunter, while her name is Annika. Maybe it's a stretch, but it felt like his name would be something more Scandanavian than it is if he was his biological son. So that combined with the others, didn't make me think this was the case. I didn't think they looked alike though, so that wasn't a factor in my thinking this. And I don't remember him mentioning Hunter at all.

[Vivigirl10]

I liked the episode last night about the girl moving from Florida to France for school.  It was just sweet and pleasant and made for a nice little story.  She was a bit perplexing....appeared kind of quiet and sheltered and yet was making such an adventurous move.  And then she seemed to have transitioned so easily into her new life, complete with French boyfriend!  Who knows with House Hunters though, maybe she had already been living there for years.  I thought it was funny when she and her school friend were both put off by the last apartment by the river that was so spacious and nice.  They thought it was for a "professional" and not a "student". A place is too nice to be comfortable and feel like home?  A rarity for House Hunters!

[NYGirl]

Finally got to watch the uncomfortable episode Canada to Denmark.  I believe the son was her child because at the beginning she told him he was her first baby. She also said she sold her house and that her husband and daughter were in Denmark for 6 months.  I wasn't crazy about her.  It seemed like she only wanted something expensive.

[Bazinga]

 

about the girl moving from Florida to France for school

Liked the episode, too.  She seemed nice. 

 

I would have chosen the third apartment which was large, beautiful, well-furnished, with a great view, though it was overbudget, as it said France to me.  Don't know why she would reject an apartment for being too big and too nice for a student.  I will just assume it was really the money and not because it was too nice an apartment.

 

I so thought the handsome guy from her school looking with her at apartments wanted to get with her and then she ends up with a nerdy looking boyfriend not the tour guide who was also shown hanging out as a third wheel friend.  I was surprised at that development.

Edited May 9, 2015 by Bazinga

[aguabella]

So I know the shows are all fake but good lord editors have some pride! The Chicago to Albany family reveal was just sad. They showed the daughter at the art show "3 months later" which whatever, then they showed her and her brother in their room with yellow walls and a blue painting in the hallway but then they cut to the family "skyping" her she was in the room with yellow walls and blue in the background and her and her brother wearing the exact same clothes. So poorly done and completely unnecessary.

 

Yep, this is exactly what I was thinking about when I mentioned the poor editing on recent episodes in one of the other HH threads.  During that scene, it appeared the daughter moved to the other side of the room to present a different background for the shot.  Nice try, lol!  Do you suppose some intern made a typo and meant to have the chyron say:  "Three Minutes Later"  ??

 

Anyone wonder if the production company staff is spending so much time inventing new HH editions (e.g. Off the Grid, Tiny Houses, etc.) to expand the franchise that they're ignoring the hum-drum, daily responsibilities?

 

Recently, one of the HHI couples complained that a home had too much furniture b/c their employer was shipping their belongings and they'd incur storage costs.  During the postscript scene, they commented how nice it was to have their things around.  You guessed it - same furniture!

[ChelleGame]

That (Canada to Denmark) was the first episode in my memory that was somewhat uncomfortable to watch for reasons that had less to do with the actual house search than with the couple's dynamic. I hope everything's going well for them.

 

Good lord. That was so uncomfortable.  Her body language at the end was intense. I left that episode feeling like she hated him. He was not going to please her no matter what he did.  She made a ton of cutting remarks to him, he was walking on eggshells with her and she really seemed to love any aspect of the houses in which he could physically be somewhere else and she didn't have to see him. I wonder if their friends/family at home watched that and cringed because they know the details that we don't.  These people aren't actors so they don't know how to hide/mask how they really feel.  I found myself talking to the TV like it was a horror movie. Yikes.

 

And eye-talian is all kinds of awful. Hopefully, someone pulled her coat and told her not to say that out loud ever again.

[aguabella]

We need aguabella's insight.

 

Thanks so much for the kind words, NYGirl!  Yes, I did have a different impression (surprise, surprise!) of the Panama episode and can share a tidbit of additional information.

 

I'm usually running behind on my dvr and can't comment about episodes as quickly as other posters.  Unless I've seen an episode, I ignore its commentary so prior opinions don't influence me.  B/c most of you post before me, I enjoy reading everyone's unique takes on episodes, if/when I've (finally) had the time to view them.

 

WRT this episode, here's my general question - perhaps it'd be a good "small talk" topic:

          If the initial, basic, main premise of an episode is false and/or misleading, as viewers, can we (or should we) trust the follow-on facts presented during the episode?  Incidentally, when I begin watching a HH episode, I give tptb a clean slate, assuming that they've shot a reenactment of the participants' actual house hunt.  That way, I (hopefully) avoid a bias that each and every episode is faked.

 

I agreed with pretty much all of you that the Panama episode's premise was ridiculous, i.e. relocating so their children become bilingual.  Given that, I was extremely surprised when basically everyone accepted the subsequent facts presented during the episode.  (I didn't.)  Besides the fake premise, for several reasons, their "move" didn't make sense to me.

 

IIRC, they appeared a little younger than retirement age.  And, their children were fairly young.  I considered the possibility that he was establishing a Panama dental practice or other business but a quick search yielded no hits.  Needless to say, after reviewing all the available information, I don't believe they relocated, IRL, full-time. 

 

Like many other episodes, the most important factor, IMHO, was conspicuously omitted by the production company.  Current corporate records indicate the wife is actively involved in the daily operations of a business unrelated to her husband's dental practice.  IIRC, her business wasn't even mentioned during the episode!  (If I missed it, please correct me.)  It sounded like an endeavor that would frequently require weekend work.  JMHO but even if you assume both spouses employ competent staff, I can't see them managing these multiple activities, long-distance.

 

Loved, loved, loved all the conspiracy theories about Dr. Dickface (lol) and his family and the possible reasons for their relocation.  Don't know for sure and it's JMHO but I believe the RL answer's very simple.  Given the above information, like many if not most island-type home buyers, I believe they were just purchasing a vacation home for occasional use.

 

So, next question, why can't they admit it for the cameras and use that for the episode's storyline?  Well, we know that previous HH/HHI participants have reported that tptb change plots if/when they consider them boring and/or redundant.  It wouldn't surprise me if vacation home purchases constitute an overwhelming majority of all U.S. ex-pat, island home purchases.  Seems like they rarely use that as a storyline.  B/c of their frequency, they must automatically change the plot whenever filming an island, vacation home purchase.

 

These two didn't appear to purchase a property tailor-made for the rental option but the local vacation home managers would happily line up to assist them, if they plan to rent it out.  If forced to guess, I'd say they purchased the home for their family alone, with an eye towards their eventual retirement.  (BTW, the guy was stationed in Panama at some point during his USAF service so he already had some knowledge of and connection to the area.) 

 

As a Palm Beach area orthodontist for many years, he may not need additional income to cover their increased monthly nut, assuming they financed it.  BTW, it's terrific to avoid dealing with transient tenants, increased maintenance, out-of-town RE agents / mgrs, etc...  It appears he may already have a side business in FL (or two) related to his dental practice.  Besides her active business, why add another headache?   

 

So, the short answer for the Panama episode - I didn't buy it.  JMHO

Edited May 9, 2015 by aguabella

[aguabella]

I just came here to complain about Dr. Dickface, DDS.  Just to save a buck he wanted the kids to share a bedroom.  I couldn't believe he wasn't even going to be there..  Then he makes a face when the wife says she is interested in keeping the kids comfortable.  After all they didn't even want to move to Panama. Why did they move there in the first place?

 

I kept wanting to slap him through the TV.

 

 

He was a pretty boy, don't you think?  Yes, one of those SoCal types.  IIRC, his bio included participation on the UCLA volleyball team, including at least one nat'l championship.  In spite of his dark hair, he must have been hangin' at the frat house, playing a little beach volleyball, grabbing a surf board, ...

 

It does appear that he and his wife worked hard for their (apparent) wealth and hope to enjoy the fruits of their labor.  Hope the family can get away enough to make the Panama home purchase worth it.

 

The condo looked like a decoy so I'll assume those comments were producer driven.  Agree, they did make him out to be a jerk!  He probably went along with it to complete filming.  Have to wonder if they signed up expecting a couple of fun hours and then filmed take after take, retake, and another angle, just one more, ... 

Edited May 9, 2015 by aguabella

[bubbls]

I assume it's a repeat, but did anyone catch the NY lady moving to Taiwan after her parent died in order to be near family? Her BFF tagged along the house hunt. Lord have mercy, those two were awful actors! BFF sounded and acted just like a Taiwanese version of a Valley Girl. I assume this was simply due to her discomfort and accent, but it was pretty funny. I laughed throughout. Like, totally!!

 

I enjoy HHI much more than HH. I wish I'd done something adventurous like this when I was young.

Edited May 12, 2015 by bubbls

[aguabella]

I assume it's a repeat, but did anyone catch the NY lady moving to Taiwan after her parent died in order to be near family? Her BFF tagged along the house hunt. Lord have mercy, those two were awful actors! BFF sounded and acted just like a Taiwanese version of a Valley Girl. I assume this was simply due to her discomfort and accent, but it was pretty funny. I laughed throughout. Like, totally!!

 

I enjoy HHI much more than HH. I wish I'd done something adventurous like this when I was young.

 

Happened to see this one.  It was a new episode.

 

Loved it when the BFF blurted out, "You can watch me pee" when she noticed the window in the bathroom.  That's my fave - the unscripted, off-the-wall, inadvertent comments that the editors ignore.

 

You're never too old, bubbls.  Why not?

[Peanutbuttercup]

I really liked the family moving to Granada. They said they wanted immersion in the local culture, and surprise! Unlike most HHI people, they didn't immediately start whining (too much) about the lack of American "features" in their homes, proclaim every kitchen too small, and declare that they couldn't possibly live with such a tiny refrigerator. And they even sent their children to local schools. Seems like most of the HHI people say they want their children to experience other cultures, but then immediately enroll them in international schools where they will be surrounded by expat children and speak and hear English all day long. They may get two hours of lessons in the local language each week, but that's about it. And the parents were even enrolled in a language school! Much better than the standard HHI person who jokes at the end of the show about being able to order beer in [insert language here] and really needs to learn more.

[peggy06]

I recently cut the cable cord, so I have to rely on the Netflix catalog of this show. (I know Sling TV has it, but I cut the cord to save money and signing up for extra services kind of defeats that purpose.) Anyway, I've watched the first 5 episodes of HHI in the Netflix "HHI Collection." All set in Europe. One was a Paris episode featuring Adrienne Leeds. (Couple with a 1.2 mil budget buying a fourth-floor walkup with a view of the Eiffel Tower.) Is this how the show started? Are these early episodes? I was surprised at no tropical or resort locations so far.

 

It's a bummer not to be able to watch live, but I am completely sold on watching sans commercials. What a huge difference that makes! I swear it also cuts out most of the redundant teasers and recaps that clutter up the broadcast show. Time to figure out a cheap or free DVR solution for my live-TV watching.

[laredhead]

Peanutbuttercup, were the Grenada folks just taking a break from their jobs for a while?  They never said what either of them did to make $$, but they did say they were spending their savings to move to Spain.  How do you do that?  I guess you could treat it as a very expensive extended vacation and spend a few months abroad, but you would have to be assured of a job when you returned to your home country if that was the plan.   

[Bronx Babe]

Could someone make sense about the Texas family (he's a doctor) moving to Oslo, Norway? Second home,

but the wife and kids are living there permanently? What? And he's working in Texas full-time, with only occasional jaunts to Oslo? Huh? They want the children to appreciate their heritage; the wife's name is Kristina with a heavy southern accent but apparently she was born in Norway? I'm totally confused.

The husband certainly wasn't afraid of making himself appear like an idiot: "This house doesn't have that Norwegian feel. I don't know what that would be." And: "Oslo is so different from Texas"

Edited May 14, 2015 by Bronx Babe

[KLovestoShop]

Bronx Babe, I could not agree with you more. I just don't get these families who totally uproot themselves, under the guise of the kids needing to learn about different cultures. The Texas wife left Oslo when she was 5, so there's not much memory there. And then to leave the father/husband back in Texas, just so the kids can ice skate and ski? Nothing about this show made any sense. And I just didn't get the comments about looking like Norway? What does that mean? I've been to Norway, and Oslo looks like any big city in the US. The big difference is that in winter, those kids will have four hours of daylight----talk about cabin fever.

HHI sometimes is just too weird to be true.

[Bazinga]

 

Could someone make sense about the Texas family (he's a doctor) moving to Oslo, Norway?

I can.  IMO, they are going to be divorced within three years, once the wife milks the husband for some money to pay for the family to stay in Norway and maybe enough time for the kids to become Norwegian citizens who can't be brought back to the US in a custody fight.  This is the wife's pre-divorce maneuver.

 

The wife seemed annoyed at the husband a lot and never mentioned love or that the marriage was actually strong enough for this ridiculous idea.

 

Some other points:

 

This was totally the wife's idea and she convinced the husband it was a good one and a mutual decision.

 

At no point did we see the kids acknowledge missing their dad. 

 

Nor was it mentioned when or how often he would be visiting.

 

Why can't they just visit Norway during summer vacation? 

 

The mom seemed to be reliving her childhood memories through the kids, which will be unsustainable for all of them soon enough. 

 

Was it ever mentioned that she would be working in Norway? 

 

Why couldn't this wait until they had built up enough money for the whole family to go and for the father to work in Norway, but not as a high-paid doctor?

 

The whole thing was just "off."  If a couple has to be apart for a necessary reason, fine.  But to intentionally create the distance for, IMO, flimsy reasons, makes no sense to me.

 

As an aside, I would love to know the percentage of couples who breakup sometime after being showcased on HH or HHI.

 

ETA: To clarify, I was just speculating that based on this course of action, the marriage is not going to last.  I know nothing about this couple other than what I saw.  The divorce possibility was just my opinion.

Edited May 15, 2015 by Bazinga

[DownTheShore]

I got the impression that he was going to try to get certified to practice in Norway and then eventually move there. I wonder if that will be easier to do with a Norwegian wife who is already living in-country? Then the wife & kids relocation would make more sense. She might have retained dual citizenship if she became a naturalized American.

But the reason for moving there in the first place was rather weird, given that there wasn't any heavy emphasis on her having a lot of relatives there. It basically sounded like they were relocating for the winter sport activities, frankly.

Given the ages of the kids in a lot of the families they show relocating, many seem to be right on the cusp of their teen years. And given that a lot of theses families seem well-off financially, I wonder if some of the moves are just to remove their kids from the American high school scene, with all of its attendant social peer pressures?