House Hunters International - General Discussion

[buttersister]

Excuse me, rerun of the Canadian singer —> English teacher in Thailand. I’m #TeamBanjo. The guy creeped me out a little. Just me?

ha, when I saw the Vitamix at the hostel I thought, wow, the landlord really stocked the kitchen! LOL, no I didn’t—dead giveaway he was living there.. 😂😂😂

[Mediocre Gatsby]

New Zealand newlyweds: I'd love to visit or live in New Zealand, so I really liked this. They definitely chose the right apartment. The guy hit it on the head, unintentionally, when he said that #1 would be like an extended honeymoon. They needed a long-term HOME instead. 

I'm envious! 

[Pine]

New Zealand newlyweds.  That husband was very odd to me.  He doesn't fit into my idea of someone I could take a long car ride with.   I know people with condos in big name hotels, and they love it. 

Did anyone notice his wife is from Boston, and her last name is Fitzgerald...any connection to the Kennedy's?  She did have some similarities....jmho of course.

[aghst]

Auckland husband my have been playing up the alternate choices, to make it appear like they or at least he was really interested in them.

He may have had a job all along or he expected to get one soon.

The wife could be sponsored by her employer or NZ is giving visas in certain fields.  Didn’t hear what kind of work he did and “logistics” seem pretty broad.

 

[Chit Chat]

14 hours ago, aghst said:

 Didn’t hear what kind of work he did and “logistics” seem pretty broad.

Must be a good job if they can afford $2500/month to rent! 

[Chit Chat]

18 hours ago, aghst said:

Auckland husband my have been playing up the alternate choices, to make it appear like they or at least he was really interested in them.

I agreed with him about not needing the double sinks.  Our house has double sinks in the master bathroom, but our vanity is rather small, so 1 sink would've been better.  I would rather have more counter space than 2 sinks.  Mr. Chat & I are rarely brushing our teeth at the same time. Oh well, that's how our house was remodeled before we bought it, and I don't want to spend more money undoing it!  YMMV. 

[aghst]

Some couples do use the bathrooms at the same time in the mornings.

There must be some demand for them or they wouldn't keep building or renovating homes that way.

Or they have additional bathrooms so they can just use both bathrooms at the same time.

But the Iceland episode showed that in some places a second bathroom was rare.

[Chit Chat]

4 hours ago, aghst said:

There must be some demand for them or they wouldn't keep building or renovating homes that way.

I just get a kick out of watching people go into these properties and check off the same boxes every single time:  Double sinks - check;  marble countertops - check;  no carpet - check;  huge kitchen because they're going to cook for mega crowds apparently - check!!  

I think double sinks look good on a wider vanity.  Two sinks on mine is overkill!  :)  

[ArtFossil]

Auckland! My university sent me there  for a conference and then I took the bus around the coast to Ninety Mile beach where I stayed for a few days. 

I’ve lived in/visited a LOT of beautiful places but that coast—ocean/tropical vegetation/mountains—is unforgettable. 

I was ready to immigrate after 24 hours but was too old (51). But I did keep something of the vitality of New Zealand in my life and work. 

Edited October 23, 2023 by ArtFossil

[proserpina65]

On 10/21/2023 at 1:33 PM, Chit Chat said:

Must be a good job if they can afford $2500/month to rent! 

I imagine most of that would be paid by her salary plus their savings.  His job is a bonus to help pay for the over-budget portion of the rent.  At least as presented on the show, which is probably not the case at all.

On 10/21/2023 at 5:26 PM, aghst said:

Some couples do use the bathrooms at the same time in the mornings.

There must be some demand for them or they wouldn't keep building or renovating homes that way.

Or they have additional bathrooms so they can just use both bathrooms at the same time.

But the Iceland episode showed that in some places a second bathroom was rare.

People have managed to figure out a bathroom schedule for many decades before builders started putting in double sinks and charging extra for them.  Which is why double sinks are so popular now, because the builders make more money on them; if there wasn't a good profit margin, houses and apartments would not have them to begin with.

 

[chessiegal]

If you're already putting in plumbing for one sink, adding a second one can't be that expensive. I had a house with 2 sinks in the main bathroom. There were times when we were going out that we were both using a sink. What I don't like when we stay in a hotel, there's only one toilet! We have 3 toilets on the first floor. Now that's convenience.

[StatisticalOutlier]

On 10/18/2023 at 8:17 AM, ECM1231 said:

Those Icelandic horses were beautiful and seemed significantly smaller/shorter than horses here in the U S.

This is one reason I watch this show.  The chyron said the horses have five gaits as opposed to the usual three, so Mr. Outlier and I, with our vast lack of knowledge about horses, had a long, satisfying, and ultimately inconclusive discussion about what the extra gaits might be.

I was satisfied with that, but he couldn't help himself and consulted Professor Internet and got the answer.  There's a video, and it looks a little funny because the horse is so little, but man is that rider smooth.

https://www.horsesoficeland.is/the-icelandic-horse-gaits

 

[Notabug]

11 minutes ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

This is one reason I watch this show.  The chyron said the horses have five gaits as opposed to the usual three, so Mr. Outlier and I, with our vast lack of knowledge about horses, had a long, satisfying, and ultimately inconclusive discussion about what the extra gaits might be.

I was satisfied with that, but he couldn't help himself and consulted Professor Internet and got the answer.  There's a video, and it looks a little funny because the horse is so little, but man is that rider smooth.

https://www.horsesoficeland.is/the-icelandic-horse-gaits

 

Thanks for that, what a gorgeous horse!  You're right, that rider is superb as was the scenery.

[ECM1231]

So freaking beautiful. Thanks, @StatisticalOutlier for the link. 

[Hedgehog2022]

On 10/19/2023 at 9:42 AM, cinsays said:

ugh... i found her to be very smug, selfish and didn't really give a fig about what her husband wanted or needed.  he didn't seem happy in this relationship at all but i guess that's his choice. 

She got on my last nerve...I've never been to Iceland but I did see the episode of Anthony Bourdain's last series when he went there. He was there in early winter and it was brutal. Pitch dark for almost the entirety of the day and bitter cold. Food was awful...a lot of fish. I had never seen Bourdain be so miserable doing a show. Why this woman chose Iceland without fully researching housing costs, etc... is beyond me. All European countries are expensive but Scandinavian countries are and have always been more costly than other European countries, with exception of Switzerland which has always been expensive.

And yeah...hubby seemed really unhappy. Afterall they made a huge decision to sell all their stuff and uproot the family because of some fantasy the wife had about living abroad. When I was 14 my Dad took a sabbatical leave and we moved to Geneva, Switzwerland for a year. He took a position at the World Health Organization for the year and my brother and myself were enrolled in schools there. I went to an English school since the American School in Geneva had no openings. My younger brother went to a Swiss school and it was brutal...he did not speak French and the kids bullied him relentlessly. There was another boy in his class who was also from another country and did not speak French and they became best friends..ironically, this other boy was Russian! He spoke some English and together they formed a bond that helped both of them stand up to the local kids and get through the school year.

It can be tough for kids to transition to a life outside of their native country. But more so for adults. My mom was lonely and bored for much of that year. She didn't speak French and met very few people outside of my Dad's colleagues. I was lucky and made a lot of friends at my school and had a great experience there. I actually had a harder time transitioning back to the U.S. and to high school here. 

Edited October 23, 2023 by Hedgehog2022

[proserpina65]

21 hours ago, Hedgehog2022 said:

He was there in early winter and it was brutal. Pitch dark for almost the entirety of the day and bitter cold. Food was awful...a lot of fish.

Yeah, Iceland looks beautiful . . . in the summer.

[Grizzly]

Maidstone, England. How to describe this couple, I've settled on fussy. Nothing seems to be good enough. And is Nick being sarcastic when referring to himself as fun? I didn't see anything wrong with #1 or #2. Why are they so worried about parking the car when Richard talks about how long it takes to walk everywhere? They seem like good parents.

[seacliffsal]

I so had to roll my eyes when in the first house, one of the ocuple complained that it wasn't open concept but when they went into the "open" kitchen and eating area he then complained about kids running through the kitchen as they would be in the eating area.  Which is it?  You want the kids with you or you want separated rooms?

I did like their family and they will be fine financially as soon as the lawyer gets licensed.  The kids seem happy and will have a wonderful time living there.  As soon as I saw the garden of the first house I thought they should choose that home for the dogs and the kids.

[aghst]

I don't understand the reason for the move.  The teacher found out he has English ancestry so that allowed him to move and work in England.  So they give up dual income, with the lawyer probably making a lot more?

So they have to downsize a family of 5 into 1 bathroom?

How easy is it for an American lawyer to get license in the UK?  Sure both countries have legal systems based on Common Law.  But all he needs is to study a bit and pass a licensing exam?  Or does he need a lot of time to re-train?

Plus, in the US, his job is based on having billable clients.  Maybe less entrepreneurial in the UK for lawyers but still, he's leaving a client base behind so where would he work?

One of them says something about kids having the experience abroad.  But it's not like other house hunters who talk up wanting their children to have an international perspective.

So it seems like the teacher guy really is driving this move and the lawyer is going along with it and of course the kids don't have much say.

None of the places is going to have enough room for them.  They complain that the places are too small.  Well when you have to downsize, you're going to have less space.

Then their dogs need backyard space because they don't want to have to walk them to a park all the time.

What happens if and when the lawyer gets his job.  Commute 40 miles every day by train?  Who takes care of the kids?  They will have to spend some of the lawyer's income for child care.

Financially it's questionable unless the teaching job offers something that teaching in Dallas couldn't provide.

[snarts]

@aghst brings up a lot of good points. For many of the international moves, I feel like we're only getting half the story.

I tend to think politics may be a driving force in their desire to move abroad, which obviously the show is loath to mention. Gay men raising what looked to be  a multi-cultural family in Texas where one of them is a teacher. Hmmm.

Finally, I'll say that not all attorneys have direct clients/billable hours and not all facets of the law are that dramatically different between the US & UK. For example, he might be corporate contract attorney.

 

[seacliffsal]

I think that most likely the lawyer will find a position with either a U.S. firm that has offices in the UK or a UK firm that deals with American clients.  

[abbyzenn]

Maidstone:  Yes House #1 was the best fit for them.  The outside of House #3 was so unappealing to me I wouldn't have even walked into it.

The teacher must save all his talking for in the classroom because he sure didn't say much on the show.  Except for the usual "charm" blather.

I do give them props for adopting 3 kids from foster care!

[Bastet]

6 hours ago, aghst said:

How easy is it for an American lawyer to get license in the UK?  Sure both countries have legal systems based on Common Law.  But all he needs is to study a bit and pass a licensing exam?  Or does he need a lot of time to re-train?

It depends; from the Bar's website:

Quote

If you are a qualified solicitor, qualified lawyer from another jurisdiction, or a legal academic and you wish to practise as a barrister in England and Wales, you need to transfer to the Bar. Depending on your qualifications and experience, you may be exempt from some or all of the requirements for training for the Bar. Some of these exemptions may be granted subject to passing academic and/or vocational component assessments as a Bar Transfer Test (BTT) candidate. During 2021-22 the BSB received 325 fully completed applications to transfer to the Bar of England and Wales of which 324 were successful. The qualifications and experience required of those who succeeded in transferring to the Bar are set out in detail below.

In order to be granted an exemption, you must submit an application to us which includes information on the qualifications and experience you have. The application forms and guidelines are available on our waivers, exemptions and applications page. We will look at your application and decide whether you may be exempted from some or all of the requirements for training for the Bar. If we decide that you should be exempted from some of the requirements, you may be required to complete assessments as a BTT candidate. We will tell you which assessments you will have to do based on your qualifications and experience.

If you have been given an exemption from some of the requirements, you may still be required to complete a period of pupillage or work-based learning before you are granted authorisation to practise as a barrister. If you are required to complete a period of pupillage or work-based learning as a transferring qualified lawyer, you may also be required to complete a new Professional Ethics assessment during your pupillage.

 

Edited October 25, 2023 by Bastet

[Chit Chat]

5 hours ago, abbyzenn said:

The outside of House #3 was so unappealing to me I wouldn't have even walked into it.

All 3 houses were unappealing to me.  They all looked bad from the outside to the inside.  YMMV. 

[buttersister]

Late to the Iceland party. Yikes. So did the Euro-starved wife chose Iceland for the airfares to Europe? I just checked for flights in Nov. from where they are to Barcelona for grins. Nothing available. In their first few months, they went to six countries? Sure.

I felt badly for the middle son, the one who locked himself in his room and refused to go. And they were moving to ICELAND for diversity? Where in Michigan did they live? (Rhetorical question, I can imagine.)

[ArtFossil]

On 10/24/2023 at 11:00 PM, Grizzly said:

Maidstone, England. How to describe this couple, I've settled on fussy. Nothing seems to be good enough. And is Nick being sarcastic when referring to himself as fun? I didn't see anything wrong with #1 or #2. Why are they so worried about parking the car when Richard talks about how long it takes to walk everywhere? They seem like good parents.

I loved this couple and found them both brave and generous to adopt three children out of foster care. I hope their family flourishes. 

[StatisticalOutlier]

I swear I didn't hear them say they adopted them from foster care.  One of them said something about being able to move to England once the adoptions were finalized; does that happen only in foster care adoptions?

[CalicoKitty]

I did hear them say they adopted from the foster system.  It was only mentioned once, I think, so I think a lot of people may have missed it.

[Grizzly]

Terrasini, Sicily. What a great location, so pretty. I like how quiet and supportive Guillermo is. Although the side eye when Jennifer said spending time with Henry was most important to her was funny. It would be a no brainer if Nonna's house was available. I would go with #2.

[chessiegal]

The only way I could share space with the woman in Sicily is long-distance part-time. I couldn't take her 24/7. Can you earn enough money helping people get their Italian citizenship to pay the bills?

[aghst]

The town is just south of the Palermo airport.

There are a lot of coastal towns along that western coast.

There are a few villages in Sicily offering those €1 homes, though you have to agree to invest a certain amount to renovate them.

But she wanted to be close to the coast and be more or less move-in ready.

 

[seacliffsal]

I am always put off when someone says they can go from 0 to 100 in a moment as if that was a good thing.  It sounds like she can be alot.  I thought her husband flinched a bit when she said the most important thing was her dog.  

Anyway, I liked all 3 and number 1 did have more of a balcony than they initially showed.  

[Chit Chat]

14 hours ago, Grizzly said:

Terrasini, Sicily. What a great location, so pretty.

Yay for a location that wasn't a hotspot for people moving to and was rather affordable!! It was nice to see the lady rather unfazed by how different the apartments were compared to what we're used to in the U.S.  I think she did her research in terms of what to expect (or so it seemed).   That town looked like a lovely place to live.  I love those older buildings. 

[proserpina65]

On 10/25/2023 at 8:21 PM, Chit Chat said:

All 3 houses were unappealing to me.  They all looked bad from the outside to the inside.  YMMV. 

I liked the first two well enough, even if neither was my dream house in England.  They were pretty typical conversions of working class houses in the area.  The last one was a bit bland on the outside, and it definitely was the worst, layout-wise.  The first one was the only real choice because of the garden space for the dogs.  And at least it had a half-bath.

16 hours ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

I swear I didn't hear them say they adopted them from foster care.  One of them said something about being able to move to England once the adoptions were finalized; does that happen only in foster care adoptions?

That's not unique to adoptions from foster care.  You really can't move until any adoption has been finalized.

17 hours ago, ArtFossil said:

I loved this couple and found them both brave and generous to adopt three children out of foster care. I hope their family flourishes. 

I like that they adopted children who might not have had a permanent family otherwise, but the lawyer was fussy and annoying to me.  The teacher was better.

[Crashcourse]

3 hours ago, seacliffsal said:

I am always put off when someone says they can go from 0 to 100 in a moment as if that was a good thing.  It sounds like she can be alot.  I thought her husband flinched a bit when she said the most important thing was her dog.  

Anyway, I liked all 3 and number 1 did have more of a balcony than they initially showed.  

He looked like he wanted to run.  Fast.

 

[Kimboweena]

34 minutes ago, proserpina65 said:

The first one was the only real choice because of the garden space for the dogs.  And at least it had a half-bath.

I read these lines too fast or was distracted.  Thought it said garden "tub" for the dogs.  Hey, a tub is nice to have for washing dogs. :)

[StatisticalOutlier]

16 hours ago, CalicoKitty said:

I did hear them say they adopted from the foster system.  It was only mentioned once, I think, so I think a lot of people may have missed it.

Aah, right you are.  It was when they were looking at some castle.  I did hear something about a dragon, but not the foster system part. 

But re-watching it reminded me that the one guy said he would make the bathroom next to the kitchen off limits while he's preparing dinner.  Maybe I'm unusually careful in my bathroom habits, but I just don't get it.  What's going to fly out of the bathroom and turn the corner and get on the food?

[chessiegal]

10 minutes ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

What's going to fly out of the bathroom and turn the corner and get on the food?

I'm right there with you on that. All these flying microbes!

[Chit Chat]

3 hours ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

But re-watching it reminded me that the one guy said he would make the bathroom next to the kitchen off limits while he's preparing dinner. 

I think it bothered him that you could see the toilet from the kitchen.  Maybe it's whatever smells that might emanate from there while he's trying to cook that grossed him out too!!  I would prefer that a bathroom that isn't accessible from the kitchen either!  ;)

[Mediocre Gatsby]

I've never been fond of the houses they show where the bathroom is right off the kitchen. 

Sicily: I figured she had taken the first house when the realtor raved about the wraparound terrace and then they didn't show it at all until the reveal. I assumed the buyer already had stuff out there. 

This was another interesting place for me. I might have gone for #3 depending on how close it was to the downtown - that terrace was amazing and if she continues to spend 2 months a year with her kids in the United States, I thought that that terrace might make a very attractive feature for renting out the apartment while she's gone. But then really, any of them would probably do that. 

Edited October 27, 2023 by Mediocre Gatsby

[proserpina65]

On 10/27/2023 at 6:19 PM, Chit Chat said:

I think it bothered him that you could see the toilet from the kitchen.  Maybe it's whatever smells that might emanate from there while he's trying to cook that grossed him out too!!  I would prefer that a bathroom that isn't accessible from the kitchen either!  ;)

As long as there's ventilation to the outside (preferably via a vent fan), it shouldn't be a problem.  I mean, it's not ideal, but most people adding a bathroom have to put it where there's space and access to water pipes.

The woman HHer in Sicily was a bit much, but I loved the earrings she was wearing in most of her talking heads.

[Grizzly]

Matarrana, Spain. That's a horrible top Krystal is wearing in their talking head. They have something very specific they are looking for. If this isn't horse country, they are not going to have a lot to choose from. Of course they are taking the place that already has an arena. Wonder how much it's going to cost to build a house.

[Jodithgrace]

They kind of forgot to mention that part. Yes, the property was $40k less than their budget, but I can’t imagine a new house would be less than that. 

[chessiegal]

I don't understand why they couldn't live in the studio until they got a house built. She said they would have to rent a place while the house was built. The studio had a kitchen, bathroom, and beds. Seems like you'd like to live in something you already own especially on a short-term basis.

But this is HHI - backstories are usually wonky.

[Grizzly]

14 minutes ago, chessiegal said:

I don't understand why they couldn't live in the studio until they got a house built. She said they would have to rent a place while the house was built. The studio had a kitchen, bathroom, and beds. Seems like you'd like to live in something you already own especially on a short-term basis.

But this is HHI - backstories are usually wonky.

They briefly showed the bathroom but I thought it looked great. I would have lived there.

[Pine]

Her shirt was a riding shirt.   I don't know why they don't have a trailer parked there to live in, and use the other studio for an office and cooking.  Glad they chose the best place for them.  She rode nice enough, so that was nice.

[Mediocre Gatsby]

On 10/31/2023 at 8:02 PM, Grizzly said:

Matarrana, Spain. That's a horrible top Krystal is wearing in their talking head.

 

12 hours ago, Pine said:

Her shirt was a riding shirt. 

The whole time I was thinking, supportive undergarments! 

The woman drove me slightly batty. It seemed like she had to be always "on." Maybe a holdover from these last few years of doing online programs. She complained that the third house was "everything Christian wants." No, *every* property started out with the horses' needs. The third property was the closest that Christian got to a distant second. 

And of course she had to constantly talk about how she likes American things. 

Dubai to Australia: After Annoying Horse Woman I was in no mood for Everything Was Better in Dubai woman. I ended up looking at the properties and forwarding through the talking heads. 

I've seen the realtor before, right? Do people in Australia not remove their hats indoors? 

Both of these episodes were so aggravating with people acting like they deserved everything when they *knew* their budgets were low. Even if it's just producer manipulation that they keep mentioning it, it's not anything I'm interested in listening to. 

Edited November 3, 2023 by Mediocre Gatsby

[Chit Chat]

On 11/1/2023 at 5:00 PM, Jodithgrace said:

They kind of forgot to mention that part. Yes, the property was $40k less than their budget, but I can’t imagine a new house would be less than that.

What annoyed me was how she kept saying that this was all about the horses and the house seemingly didn't matter, until it did matter, and she didn't want to live in a house that was basically her husband's grandmother's house!   I thought that house was pretty nice, considering their other options.

They'll probably be happier having a new home on the property that was set up perfectly for her business, but I thought the third property would've been okay. Building an arena wouldn't take as long as building a house!  I thought the husband got steamrolled in the process, but hopefully they're truly happy with their choice.  More importantly, I hope the horses are happy!!  :) 

 

[cinsays]

15 hours ago, Mediocre Gatsby said:

 

Dubai to Australia: After Annoying Horse Woman I was in no mood for Everything Was Better in Dubai woman. I ended up looking at the properties and forwarding through the talking heads. 

I've seen the realtor before, right? Do people in Australia not remove their hats indoors? 

the wife seemed to find everything pretty blah about all 3 places and the husband and his boat mania bugged me

have seen the realtor before and i think his cowboy hat thing is just a gimmick to stand out and it does make him stand out but that bugs me too

maybe it's just me...

Edited November 4, 2023 by cinsays

[chessiegal]

Walk into many bars in the US and you will see men wearing ballcaps. I'm guessing in places like Texas you'll also see men wearing cowboy hats.