House Hunters International - General Discussion

[Grrarrggh]

Found this about the Zug family www.bebevoyage.com/living-abroad-kealan-casey-shares-her-experience-about-living-in-zug-switzerland/

[Cetacean]

Thanks for that link.

The statement that stood out and one that all HHI people should read and take to heart is:  "I would say that you shouldn’t try to recreate your old life in a new place."

How many keep comparing the houses/apartments with what they had in the US?  Suck it up, buttercup, you aren't in Kansas anymore.  

[aghst]

38 minutes ago, Cetacean said:

Thanks for that link.

The statement that stood out and one that all HHI people should read and take to heart is:  "I would say that you shouldn’t try to recreate your old life in a new place."

How many keep comparing the houses/apartments with what they had in the US?  Suck it up, buttercup, you aren't in Kansas anymore.  

Interesting that she said they don't have plans right now to return.

But they only went in January!

So that was kind of at the winter peak of covid.  And the first four months they were in temporary housing without al their stuff.  So now they're probably got their belongings set up in that apartment for only a couple of months.

Of course it's great now that it's summer over there.

But the timeline would mean that HHI filmed them a few months ago and then edited it and got it on the air?

[Cetacean]

25 minutes ago, aghst said:

But they only went in January!

 

It's confusing - the date at the top of the article is December 9, 2020.

[Grizzly]

The Hague, Netherlands. Yay, it's Floor. Which is it, do you want Dutch charm or have all the things you're used to?  A garage is not a European feature. Ok he dropped that pretty quick. Lovely place but the dog loses out.

[LittleIggy]

The Hague: I loved the place they picked. I moved a lot as a kid because of my dad’s job but it wasn’t to awesome places like Oz or the Netherlands. So I had no sympathy for those kids! 😏

[aghst]

They must not have been able to find a good third place because it was like 35 minutes each way by bike for the girls?

So they eliminated it right away.

Yeah it really was a lovely home, though the canal home had better kitchen and bigger yard.

Momma wanted her cafes and shops more than yard for the dog or extra money from lower rent.

[LittleIggy]

The Hague: Re: the first house, WTF was with the bed in the middle of the bathroom? That was 🤪!

[Crashcourse]

17 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

The Hague: I loved the place they picked. I moved a lot as a kid because of my dad’s job but it wasn’t to awesome places like Oz or the Netherlands. So I had no sympathy for those kids! 😏

I know she's young but I did feel kind of sorry for the older daughter who left her boyfriend in Australia, although she's probably already met a cute guy in Zug.

Edited August 19, 2021 by Crashcourse

[aghst]

5 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

The Hague: Re: the first house, WTF was with the bed in the middle of the bathroom? That was 🤪!

I would guess that they retrofitted a bathroom up there.

 

You often see them make a bathroom in the corner of a room.  They put up walls and then make a shower that is just big enough for you to barely turn around without touch the walls or the curtain.

 Or they can install one of those all-in-one units with glass or plastic doors.

But maybe they are intending the bathroom to be only used by the occupants of that room up there, which you had to reach by stooping to climb up and down that ladder (more apt than calling it stairs).

So maybe they figured it wasn't worth reducing the size of the space by putting up walls.

But we've seen it before, sinks or toilets or showers in a bedroom with no walls or not even a room divider.

[LittleIggy]

Yeah, we’ve seen tubs or sinks in a bedroom, but nothing that crazy before. That was literally a bed surrounded by a bathroom! It was nuts.

[Grizzly]

58 minutes ago, LittleIggy said:

Yeah, we’ve seen tubs or sinks in a bedroom, but nothing that crazy before. That was literally a bed surrounded by a bathroom! It was nuts.

Perhaps that was Dutch charm. 😜

[Cetacean]

1 hour ago, LittleIggy said:

Yeah, we’ve seen tubs or sinks in a bedroom, but nothing that crazy before. That was literally a bed surrounded by a bathroom! It was nuts.

Not long ago there was that French guy with the wife who said she couldn't pronounce his name that put their kid in a bathroom equipped with a bed.  Another bizarre situation.

[Grizzly]

Cabo. I think I could do the 1 bed, 1 bath to be that close to the beach. You live outside. And I thought the kitchen was fairly updated. Glenn and I don't stay at the same hotels. Never had that much space. I'm glad she was able to overlook her aversion to the tiled kitchen. Especially since the same time in the bathrooms was a ok. Mr Grizzly did not like her voice.

[LittleIggy]

1 hour ago, Grizzly said:

Cabo. I think I could do the 1 bed, 1 bath to be that close to the beach. You live outside. And I thought the kitchen was fairly updated. Glenn and I don't stay at the same hotels. Never had that much space. I'm glad she was able to overlook her aversion to the tiled kitchen. Especially since the same time in the bathrooms was a ok. Mr Grizzly did not like her voice.

I didn’t either! I really didn’t see what was wrong with the appliances in the place they picked. 
Hope they figure out how to get some income. 😬

[Texasmom1970]

Cabo looks lovely, I liked the charm of the one they chose.

I am awful. The entire episode I wanted the realtor to take his shirt so I could check out his tats.

[aghst]

It does look nice there but it's at the end of a peninsula which is over 1000 miles long?

There must be an airport and maybe ferry services from the mainland?

I recall there were Cabo episodes with Californians driving there.  That's crazy to do that maybe more than once a year.

As for the properties they were meh to me.  The second one was best but I can understand the concerns about the cost to furnish and then dealing with construction for years.

Their budget was modest so I think previous Cabo episodes featured people who spent more and were closer to the water.

[Dehumidifier]

15 hours ago, Grizzly said:

Mr Grizzly did not like her voice.

Between their sunburns, squinting and accents I found myself getting irritated by this couple. Watched it early this morning; maybe I just didn't have enough caffeine yet.

[StatisticalOutlier]

10 hours ago, Texasmom1970 said:

I am awful. The entire episode I wanted the realtor to take his shirt so I could check out his tats.

Ew, not me.  But it looked to me like he could have taken off just the left half of his shirt to expose all his tats, and was wondering what the advantage would be to having tattoos only on your left hemisphere.  

[Pine]

Cabo, I don't like seeing razor wire around any complex, it would be a big no to live in a country where that is a thing.  

Hague, so tired of seeing people say they want their children to experience all different kinds of life to be well rounded, then moan and groan about garages, yard space, more than 1 bathroom......you may as well just stay in the USA, or a newer country than Europe.  JMHO of course.

[Texasmom1970]

3 hours ago, Pine said:

Hague, so tired of seeing people say they want their children to experience all different kinds of life to be well rounded, then moan and groan about garages, yard space, more than 1 bathroom......you may as well just stay in the USA, or a newer country than Europe.  JMHO of course.

What always get me is the complete shock and horror many of them express when there are small or no closets at all. Heaven forbid you might have to buy a rolling clothes rack!

[Grrarrggh]

4 hours ago, Pine said:

Cabo, I don't like seeing razor wire around any complex, it would be a big no to live in a country where that is a thing.  

I guess you don't live in the US of A?

[LittleIggy]

1 hour ago, Grrarrggh said:

I guess you don't live in the US of A?

For real. In the early nineties I lived in an apartment building in Memphis that had razor wire on top of the chain link fence surrounding it. The building was a renovated early 20th century one near downtown. 

[StatisticalOutlier]

13 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

For real. In the early nineties I lived in an apartment building in Memphis that had razor wire on top of the chain link fence surrounding it. The building was a renovated early 20th century one near downtown. 

The apartment complex I lived in in Austin had pineapples on top of the brick wall that surrounded it.  I never even noticed them until I was telling someone where I lived, and he said, "Oh, the place with the pineapples?"  (Obviously back when Austin was a much more manageable and knowable place than it is now.)  So I looked, and sure enough, pineapples. 

I like to think that I would have noticed razor wire, and wouldn't have to do as much digging to find out what it represents as I did with pineapples, which, I found out, represent hospitality.  Razor wire?  Probably not so much. 

[ArtFossil]

On 8/11/2021 at 11:04 PM, Grizzly said:

Cumbria, England. The daughter is pretty but needs to butt out. She's not the one paying or living there. Prue has made it this far in life without daughter's advice. The realtor is another silver fox. Natayla is worried #1 will have expensive upkeep but doesn't bat an eye at #2 being 180k over budget? I'm glad Prue got what she wanted. She seems like a good egg, as the British might say.

The daughter is only interested in increasing her Instagram/Twitter views.

[Pine]

Sorry, I have never lived where there was razor wire around the property, and I have lived all around the world, but the thought of razor wire plus a gate has never happened.  Gated communities yes, razor wire, no.  

[Grizzly]

Noosa, Australia. This is an interesting dynamic. We don't usually hear this much from the realtor. That first place was the most modern studio apartment I've ever seen. Perfect for a young woman. Glad she chose #2 over AJ. I couldn't share a house with a bunch of guys. Bad enough living with one (smiles at husband). That is definitely worth the drive.

[buttersister]

No no in Noosa. What exactly does surfer chick do at the hospital, bearing in mind that she only aspires towards “adulting” and picks up an extra shift to pay for HOW much drinking?

AJ creeped me out. Ian has the patience of a saint and the attitude I like in a HHI realtor.

[LittleIggy]

1 hour ago, buttersister said:

No no in Noosa. What exactly does surfer chick do at the hospital, bearing in mind that she only aspires towards “adulting” and picks up an extra shift to pay for HOW much drinking?

AJ creeped me out. Ian has the patience of a saint and the attitude I like in a HHI realtor.

While I was watching I was thinking that, if I was hospitalized, I would want my nurse to already be “adulting.” 🤦‍♀️
I bet AJ smelled. 🤭

Edited August 25, 2021 by LittleIggy

[aghst]

Sounds like she prioritizes play over work, though she recognizes it can't be that way forever.

Good decision to choose her own space and while she can still surf and socialize, she's not right in the middle of it, as would have been the case if she chose one of the other places.

Would it have been worth it for her to work more hours to have that nicer place?  She's close to the beach and the bars but if she had to work more, she wouldn't have as much leisure time.

She learned to surf but she's not a surfer who disregards common goals like having nice home and things, nice job, etc.  AJ at one point said she doesn't need all these nice, materialistic things.  Well he was speaking more for himself than her.

I wonder if her back story is as colorful as they made it out to be, which was some kind of free spirit who traveled for awhile, not worrying about work or money.  Could be that she wanted to travel but maybe she had some better work opportunities, especially where she ended up in Noosa.  Other Australian episodes are typically about people finding jobs and relocating because of the job.  They  tried to make this about her wanting to surf a lot and moving to feed that habit.

 

[StatisticalOutlier]

13 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

While I was watching I was thinking that, if I was hospitalized, I would want my nurse to already be “adulting.”

Well, maybe a non-adulting hospital nurse who's just changing bedpans and letting a doctor know if an alarm is going off might be okay, but she's a surgical nurse, which I think (hope?) is more skilled. 

15 hours ago, Grizzly said:

Noosa, Australia. This is an interesting dynamic. We don't usually hear this much from the realtor. That first place was the most modern studio apartment I've ever seen.

That looked very much to me like a short-term rental.

[aghst]

He only showed two places because he claimed there weren't any others.

Maybe not in her price range but 0.5% vacancy rate is impressive, though if that place is more of a summer vacation destination, maybe they filmed in the summer during peak season.

Also, places like that don't offer a lot of long-term rentals either, though I don't know if that's the case with Noosa.

[Grrarrggh]

I can understand her wanting to have some fun after being a surgical nurse straight out of university. Stressful job, especially in Covid times. I'm soooooo glad to learn she's only friends with AJ. Very adult choice lol. 

[Grizzly]

Amsterdam. We're seeing a lot of the same countries. I've never heard of Noosa, Australia and we've been there twice in 3 weeks. Now we're back for more Dutch charm. Yes, probably due to Covid.

Sarah and Courtney got on like a house afire. I wouldn't be surprised if they still hang out. Sweet how concerned Sarah was that Courtney find the right place. I am so jealous of Courtney's figure. Maybe I should find a place 5 flights up. Hope her husband is able to come visit. 

[LittleIggy]

Amsterdam: Not trying to be mean, but some of those photos of the HH were downright scary. The way she tilted her head down and looked up was very unflattering. I say this as someone who hates to have her picture taken. 
I’m sick of Amsterdam and Noosa, too. I want Germany and my sweetie Kevin! 

[Texasmom1970]

Noosa looks beautiful! AJ the just a friend is every parents dream guy for their daughter, not!

Wonder what her employer will think if they see her talking about her drinking and adulting?

[aghst]

I usually like Sarah’s chipper personality but the HH was trying to match her and there was no counterbalance.

The way they set up the scenes, they make it seem like Courtney only consulted with Sarah about her choice, not with hubby back home.

So they shot in Sarah’s home and the glimpses of it looked nicer than most of the properties she’s shown.  What’s up with that?  She holding out the good places?

Also Courtney moved to Amsterdam for work but commute was not a criteria?  Presumably it was not an issue with any of the properties or at least the one she chose.

She kind of seemed like she was too into the “adventure” and setting up a separate home for herself.  Surprised she was willing to spend more for the roof terrace.  Does she entertain a lot?  Again her story is that she’s leaving the hubby back home for her work.

[Crashcourse]

"Property consultant" Sarah in Amsterdam really got on my nerves.  She was too chipper and girlish, and then paired with the HH, they reminded me of two high school valley girls. 

[Pine]

19 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

Amsterdam: Not trying to be mean, but some of those photos of the HH were downright scary. The way she tilted her head down and looked up was very unflattering. I say this as someone who hates to have her picture taken. 
I’m sick of Amsterdam and Noosa, too. I want Germany and my sweetie Kevin! 

I think she may have had some minor dentistry work after seeing those unflattering photos.

[TVForever]

23 hours ago, Grizzly said:

Amsterdam. We're seeing a lot of the same countries. I've never heard of Noosa, Australia and we've been there twice in 3 weeks. Now we're back for more Dutch charm. Yes, probably due to Covid.

Sarah and Courtney got on like a house afire. I wouldn't be surprised if they still hang out. Sweet how concerned Sarah was that Courtney find the right place. I am so jealous of Courtney's figure. Maybe I should find a place 5 flights up. Hope her husband is able to come visit. 

I think they've always filmed episodes in bathces. Before Covid, there were so many "new" episodes that they could probably space them out a lot more. Remember when we used to get a new episode EVERY DAY?

Little by little, production is ramping back up (I think we're getting about 2 or 3 new episodes a week now), but we'll likely see the locations clumped together for a while.

[Grizzly]

Derbyshire, England. Richard, out in the country. The modern place was fine, the character place would be hard to beat (why is there a lobster under the tub?). Guessing it will be easy to find work there. The on budget place could suit their needs. Joe is right, decorations will make it homey. Wow, they didn't go over budget. Let's hope she likes his family.

[buttersister]

Richard! They got jobs, as expected. I think the main selling point of #3 was proximity to his family.

[LittleIggy]

1 hour ago, buttersister said:

Richard! They got jobs, as expected. I think the main selling point of #3 was proximity to his family.

What kind of jobs did they get? I missed that. 
I squealed when I saw that beautiful piebald horse with the long mane and tail. I want! 😍

[buttersister]

She got the health care helper job she mentioned and he was training security dogs.

[aghst]

Wow so affordable in Derbyshire, all detached homes with gardens for under $1000.

And they moved with enough savings for a month or two?

Real Happy Valley vibes.

Yeah it would be nice to see episodes in France, Italy, Spain, etc. again.

[jacksgirl]

10 hours ago, Pine said:

I think she may have had some minor dentistry work after seeing those unflattering photos.

Yes! Noticed that immediately. Courtney had some major dental work done in between her wedding and this move.

[Cetacean]

Must have bathtub, climb into every bathtub, talk about the bathtub, include the bathtub in the decision-making process. I certainly hope that's not all she has to offer to the relationship.

Edited August 27, 2021 by Cetacean

[amarante]

On 8/14/2021 at 12:16 PM, Grrarrggh said:

Why? She could have gone to international schools in Singapore or boarded in the States. 

I think accents are determined more by one's parents who you would be hearing intensively rather than school.

Not that it's quite the same thing but I grew up in Brooklyn but my parents didn't have strong Brooklyn accents and I have just a faint one with certain words like horror. But people often express shock when they hear where I am from because there is no accent.

Of course with the gentrification of Brooklyn, the stereotype is almost forgotten but I grew up in pre-gentrified Brooklyn which still had memories of Dem Bums - the "Trolley Dodgers". 🤣

[seacliffsal]

Sarah in Amsterdam is always too much/extra for me.  She seems to crave the spotlight more than the other "realtors."  Couldn't believe Sarah actually told the househunter to jump on the bed.  What?  Are they 5? Loved all three of the apartments though.  I was surprised how nice they were as I thought the budget was a bit low.

Really liked the Derbyshire episode (except for the constant getting into the bathtub). The horses and scenery were beautiful.  The garden of the old stone house was amazing.  However, 3 minutes away from family is a little close for me.  But, if it works for them-great.

[jcbrown]

On 8/27/2021 at 8:02 AM, amarante said:

I think accents are determined more by one's parents who you would be hearing intensively rather than school.

I think it depends. Two examples: I used to slip into some Irish pronunciations when talking to an employee who was Irish (I actually warned him this would happen so he did not think I was mocking him) and when I supported inspections from the Canadian Health Authority, people sometimes thought I was Canadian because I tend to unconsciously echo speech patterns. I found it totally believable that the daughter likely attended an American school in Singapore and that was the source of her accent.