House Hunters International - General Discussion

[chessiegal]

When the guy started talking about starting a business, I heard "cushion", not coaching. I pictured him hawking throw pillows. 🤣

[aghst]

Colorado to Barcelona.  Lisa, a middle aged divorcee follows her daughter Annalise, who’s going To grad school.  She had moved from CA to CO after her daughter and she’s following her again in another move.

She wants 2 bed, 2 bath, so her other daughter can visit, want to be near her daughter and near the beach.  She wants a modern open plan and furnished place for $2500.  Also terrace.

House 1 is in Gracia, has the number of rooms, for $2000.  Rooms are small and it’s far from daughter.  Terrace has no view, just brick walls of adjacent buildings.

House 2 is in Eixample district, 2 bed, 2 bath, big rooms, nice terrace for $2900.  An hour from daughter.

House 3 is nearest daughter, farthest from beach.  It’s very roomy but funky style and decor and multi-level.  Lisa has a bad knee.  Has a beautiful terrace though\.

They eliminate House 2.  Lisa says she would rather be closer to Annalise than the beach and she likes size an features of House 3 better so that is the choice.

3 months later they’re happy Lisa moved to same city.  Annalise visits often or they meet for meals when Lisa is paying.  Maybe she had a good divorce settlement though she’s also written a couple of books.
 

[BAForever]

Weird dynamic between mom and daughter Colorado to Barcelona. That is all.

Nice variety of places, sorry just think it's weird to follow (stalk) your adult children. 

[snarts]

^ especially since there's another daughter. Wonder how she feels? 

[chessiegal]

10 minutes ago, snarts said:

^ especially since there's another daughter. Wonder how she feels? 

Relieved? 😉

[seacliffsal]

I really didn't like the mom in the Barcelona episode.  She admitted she didn't have friends in Colorado, seems like a game-player (said she moved to Boulder expecting/hoping her husband would come after her), seems overly dependent on her daughter, etc.

I would not have a moments peace in the apartment she chose-too chaotic and distracting for me.  But, it seemed to suit her.

I actually expected the rents to be higher than they were in Barcelona.

[proserpina65]

16 hours ago, BAForever said:

Weird dynamic between mom and daughter Colorado to Barcelona. That is all.

Nice variety of places, sorry just think it's weird to follow (stalk) your adult children. 

I hated Lisa.  She was just so extra to begin with, and then add in the stalking her daughter to Colorado and then to Barcelona.  Both of them need serious psychological help.

17 hours ago, aghst said:

Annalise visits often or they meet for meals when Lisa is paying.

I bet she wouldn't show up so often if she had to pay her own way.

15 hours ago, chessiegal said:

Relieved? 😉

That would be my bet.  "Thank god mom is fixated on Annalise.  I can live my life without her constant presence."

5 hours ago, seacliffsal said:

said she moved to Boulder expecting/hoping her husband would come after her

I bet he's counting his blessings that she left.

[aghst]

Ireland to Perth, a family of 5, 3 young sons.  Couple met in Sydney, moved to Ireland for awhile and the wife "manifested" a  sunny, active outdoors life for their family so they moved back, except Sydney was overpriced now and Perth made more sense.

They said once they experienced living in sunny weather, they couldn't unsee it so they're back.

Husband found job with plumbing company and wife will work from home.  They want a big home, though their kids are young, maybe they'd go for homes with bedrooms for all, in addition to pool, be close to Perth CBD.

Also, apparently "Hamptons" style is a thing, at least in Perth if not other parts of Australia, though I don't recall it being mentioned in other Australia episodes.

Wife wants modern, spacious suburban type of home which is Hamptons style.

They are referring to Hamptons NY, not somewhere else.  But in the Hamptons, you're not seeing suburban homes, you're seeing mansions, on compounds or vast expanses of open space with beach access, for billionaires.

They had a $2800 budget, while one home was the fancy home that the wife "manifested" and she didn't want to compromise, they end up choosing the lowest-priced home, which is close to husband's work and while it looked old from the outside, the inside met most of their requirements, though it didn't have a pool nor was it as close to the beach as the other homes.

There was another episode recently where the house hunter was some kind of manifestation coach, which apparently is about dreaming or wanting something and finding ways to get it.

[surfgirl]

^She sounds awful^ 

[Dirge]

I thought of the manifestation woman, too. This lady set off all my alarms. She set the intention! It always works! Luckily she was willing to choose the more sensibly priced home. 

[Jodithgrace]

Yet another made up job description. A manifestation coach? Somehow I’ve managed to make to it 74 years of age without once manifesting anything. I hope she finds plenty of suckers, uh, clients, in Australia. 

[Grizzly]

Vancouver to Italy. Knew which house they were picking based on how much stuff was in the other two. No way were those for sale. The countryside looked lovely. Wish someone insisted I move to Italy. 

[proserpina65]

On 4/19/2025 at 3:29 PM, aghst said:

 Couple met in Sydney, moved to Ireland for awhile and the wife "manifested" a  sunny, active outdoors life for their family so they moved back,

I absolutely hated that woman.  I did enjoy her husband's comment to the camera about not manifesting money falling from the sky to pay for her dream house.

1 hour ago, Grizzly said:

Vancouver to Italy. Knew which house they were picking based on how much stuff was in the other two. No way were those for sale. The countryside looked lovely. Wish someone insisted I move to Italy. 

They were okay.  And yes, it was pretty obvious which place they were going to choose.  But I absolutely would've chose house #3 and made that 3rd bedroom into a short-term rental to cover the extra cost.  Which actually is what it looked like anyway.

[ECM1231]

1 hour ago, Grizzly said:

Vancouver to Italy. Knew which house they were picking based on how much stuff was in the other two. No way were those for sale. The countryside looked lovely. Wish someone insisted I move to Italy. 

Well, shame on the show, then, if they are essentially showing us only 1 available home. I didn't think the 2nd home, just right out of town, with the pizza oven and swimming pool, needed that much work. I thought the husband was being a lazy bones. He said he didn't want to spend a year renovating because he needed to be working. Well, it would not have taken a year to spruce up, imo, and at the end of the show it's 2 months later and he still has not found a job. He could have used that time to fix up house #2 and made his partner happy. 

I'm always suspect when a city gal says she now loves living in the boonies.

I rewound the DVR several times because I couldn't tell if the realtor said the 1st house was 50 or 15 minutes from the nearest city. 50 minutes makes more sense. 

That view from the 3rd house was magnificent! 😳 

[chessiegal]

33 minutes ago, ECM1231 said:

Well, shame on the show, then, if they are essentially showing us only 1 available home.

Happens every episode, on HHI as well as HH.

[Jodithgrace]

Yes, it made no sense when the husband commented on the smell in house#2, and realtor said that it smelled that way because nobody had lived there for a while. So, why is a deserted house so full of personal crap? I mean, did the family suddenly drop dead, or go out for an evening stroll and just never return? It was ridiculous. 
Still I wished they would have chosen that one because it was a perfect compromise. But of course the husband had to be adamant, because the house wasn’t available. 
I hope that the wife can drive herself to town.If I had to rely on somebody to drive me anytime I wanted to go anywhere, I’d go crazy. 

[proserpina65]

4 hours ago, ECM1231 said:

Well, shame on the show, then, if they are essentially showing us only 1 available home.

They rarely show us actual available homes.  The narrative is basically fake from the beginning because the house hunters either have already rented the place they "choose" or have a sales contract on it, if it's not a rental.

[aghst]

Can’t find Roero on the map.

Can find Bra, Frinco and San Damiano.  They’re not as well known as Asti or Alba in Piedmont countryside but near those places the properties would be more expensive.

But fantastic landscapes, especially those towns on top of ridges or hills with terraced vineyards below them.

[chessiegal]

[AnnMarie17]

On 4/23/2025 at 10:20 AM, Grizzly said:

Vancouver to Italy. Knew which house they were picking based on how much stuff was in the other two. No way were those for sale. The countryside looked lovely. Wish someone insisted I move to Italy. 

Absolutely.  They had an English realtor and that third option (aka: his actual home) had a Trafalgar Square sign in the kitchen!  

[surfgirl]

I didn't realize this show hiw was so fake, I'm bummed!

[chessiegal]

29 minutes ago, surfgirl said:

I didn't realize this show hiw was so fake, I'm bummed!

Don't be bummed. There is no way a production crew could afford to follow folks around on a real property search. In the 20-22 minutes they have to film content for an episode, they work backwards. They find folks who want to be on tv, find 2 decoy properties that they have permission to film, and the property they "choose", as in already living there. 

From HGTV on how to be on HHI.

Quote

Do You Want to be on House Hunters International?

Are you buying or renting a home outside of the United States? Are you English speaking living outside the United States and buying or renting a home in a new country? Either way we'd like to put your story on TV! HGTV's House Hunters International is looking for energetic individuals, couples, and families who are passionate about their search for a new home or vacation property abroad. We’re always on the lookout for upbeat personalities and interesting stories. If this sounds like you, apply now!

We are currently casting in multiple countries around the globe. If you are interested in being on the show, please send an e-mail telling us about yourselves and the details of your move to househunterscasting@leopardusa.com and we’ll send you additional information. Please be sure to include the following information in your email: your name, phone number, current location, new location, estimated move date and don’t forget to attach a photo of you and your family!

How to be on House Hunters International.

It's how house hunting shows work.

 

[proserpina65]

19 hours ago, surfgirl said:

I didn't realize this show hiw was so fake, I'm bummed!

I generally watch it to look at interesting places and the kinds of housing you'd find there.  I like to see how people live in other countries.  I try to ignore the alleged backstories although sometimes it's so bad that all I can do it come here and ridicule it.

[Jodithgrace]

I stopped watching HH years ago because there was only so much stainless steel and granite I could get excited about. But I remember one episode where the husband was a concert pianist, and one of the houses they looked at just happened to have a large piano shaped object in the corner, covered with a sheet. Guess which house they chose? 
 

I watch HHI for the glimpse into life in a foreign country, the quirkier the better. 

[aghst]

Austin to Amsterdam.  Young couple with a 5-year old son and a dog.  Want 3 bedrooms for visits from their son's grandparents and a garden and a dishwasher.

Husband is in the gaming industry, took a big pay cut to move, have international experience for their son.  Wife wants Dutch charm, which means not modern concrete designs.  They have to be near his work, in central Amsterdam, and they want it all for $2500.

House 1 is 1.5 bedroom, has a fairly roomy living space and garden for $2700.  It's nice but they really need a third bedroom for the visits.

House 2 is 3 bedrooms and they're all large.  No garden and it's $3500!

House 3 is 3 bedroom 1 bath with an "octopus" layout and a small garden for $3000.

They eliminate House 2, too much over budget.

House 1 has nicer garden.  Wife mentions more than once that the husband wants the garden but with a young kid and dog, it seems pretty much a must.

Husband worried about the budget, given the pay cut.  But they agree they need that third bedroom so House 3 it is.

OK, Sarah's infectiously chipper personality leads to house hunters jumping on beds and a lot of mirth.  In this episode Sarah and the wife both try on children's bunk bed in one of the houses.  The husband tries to squeeze into a narrow shower stall and that seems like a bit contrived to show how tight a fit it is for him.

I don't think she has to twist arms to make people try to be upbeat on camera.  Maybe producers and her tell people to relax, have fun while being filmed.  Well it is more of a TV show than a real house hunt.

Edited April 25 by aghst

[ECM1231]

16 minutes ago, aghst said:

House 2 is 3 bedrooms and they're all large.  No garden and it's $2500!

The 2nd house was $3500.

[aghst]

24 minutes ago, ECM1231 said:

The 2nd house was $3500.

Yup, typo, edited.

[chessiegal]

Sarah is always chipper, but she seemed over the top, even for her.

Wanting their son to experience a new culture - what BS. He was way too young to appreciate a new culture.  

[aghst]

2 minutes ago, chessiegal said:

Sarah is always chipper, but she seemed over the top, even for her.

Wanting their son to experience a new culture - what BS. He was way too young to appreciate a new culture.  

Yeah typical HHI boilerplate.  Maybe he grows up living in an urban environment with neighbors very close by so they take him to public parks instead of keeping him in a backyard.

But they may not necessarily stay there that long.  Maybe they have to return.

In the last year or two, there have been a lot of layoffs in the gaming industry.  Not sure when this was filmed.

The gaming industry, like other industries, overtired during the pandemic and had to aggressively scale back.

Doubtful he took a big pay cut just to give their son a cultural experience.  Maybe that was the best option for them for the short term.  I think it's a hits-driven industry so people move on after a project is done, unless it's a huge hit.

[jessiebell]

Vancouver to Italy:

I just don't get why when you're movin to a new place and have no jobs that you buy a house rather than renting until you really know the area and have a job that you can easily commute to.  What happens if you can't find a job in that area?

They kept talking about how remote the first place was but there were several buildings near it - in fact it looked like two were within spitting distance.  I didn't think the view was so great - looking at an overgrown field/trees.  THe third place did have a nice view.

I thought all 3 of the houses looked much bigger from the outside than what was shown on the inside.  Maybe we didn't see all the rooms?

Austin to Amsterdam:

I just can't stand Sarah.  I don't find her antics funny or entertaining - I'm watching the show to see the houses/area not to see THe Sarah Show.

I thought they picked the right place for their budget.

[seacliffsal]

I really liked the Amsterdam couple, they seemed really fun.  However, I have never liked Sarah so she dampened my overall enthusiasm for the episode.  I don't understand why she is always so over the top.  She really had to 'tell' the wife to dance when Sarah decided that would be 'fun.'  

[chessiegal]

IIRC, Sarah is an actor who, once she landed her gig on HHI, now purports to be a property expert or some such nonsense. As opposed to Floor, who really does work in real estate.

[Pi237]

Sarah can get annoying. She’s very pushy and in your face with her ‘get excited!’ Enthusiasm. 
 

As for the ‘manifesting’ woman-isn’t that just daydreaming? I do that All the time! Hasn’t made me rich or thin yet, unfortunately. 

[Grizzly]

Not sure I'd want to watch unenthusiastic people moving to Europe. 

[Dirge]

Amsterdam: I can't understand why people insist on an expensive 3rd bedroom just for visiting relatives. I think they should stick to their preferred area, spend less money and help pay for a nearby hotel room when visitors come. The grandparents could sleep at night and shower in the morning at the hotel, then come spend the rest of the day at the HH's apartment that's right in the area where tourists want to be. Crazy. 

[aghst]

2 hours ago, Dirge said:

Amsterdam: I can't understand why people insist on an expensive 3rd bedroom just for visiting relatives. I think they should stick to their preferred area, spend less money and help pay for a nearby hotel room when visitors come. The grandparents could sleep at night and shower in the morning at the hotel, then come spend the rest of the day at the HH's apartment that's right in the area where tourists want to be. Crazy. 

They ended up spending $500 over budget.  $500 is nothing for hotels in Amsterdam.  Maybe two nights if that.

They may have scoped out costs of hotels and weighed the definite plans for grandparents on both the husband and wife’s sides to visit, maybe repeatedly.

[Dirge]

On 4/26/2025 at 7:20 PM, aghst said:

They ended up spending $500 over budget.  $500 is nothing for hotels in Amsterdam.  Maybe two nights if that.

$6000 a year. Nothing to sneeze at. 

[proserpina65]

On 4/25/2025 at 2:01 PM, aghst said:

They have to be near his work, in central Amsterdam, and they want it all for $2500.

I loved that Sarah told them right off the bat that she wasn't going to find what they wanted for that amount of money.  They needed to hear it.

On 4/26/2025 at 9:16 AM, Pi237 said:

I do that All the time! Hasn’t made me rich or thin yet, unfortunately. 

Me, neither.  We must be doing it wrong.

On 4/26/2025 at 10:20 PM, aghst said:

They ended up spending $500 over budget.  $500 is nothing for hotels in Amsterdam.  Maybe two nights if that.

They may have scoped out costs of hotels and weighed the definite plans for grandparents on both the husband and wife’s sides to visit, maybe repeatedly.

$500 a month.  Versus the grandparents paying for a hotel for what? a week, a few days?  You can find good hotels in Amsterdam for under $300 a night. Unless the grandparents are coming over multiple times a year, which most people cannot afford to do, it's definitely not worth the extra cost unless they're actually using the extra bedroom for an office to work from home. 

Edited April 28 by proserpina65

[buttersister]

I think the Paris couple (no visa for you, Thomas) was new. Or new to me. 

Adrian, you found my Ile St. Louis apartment!  Big enough for me. I’ve stayed on the island in a very old building that used to be a handball court. I’ve always wanted to stay there and it was fantastic, especially in the evenings when the crowds wind down. It’s like a little village.

Anyway, those two were headed to the 11e from the jump. But thanks for some new places outside Le Marais, Adrian.

Loved the drama when he offered to get a second job, right about the time J’aime (are your parents visiting?) realized she’d be living single by the canal with the no-kitchen and a shower your DREAM husband couldn’t use. LOL!

eta: Grateful no one wanted a work space! 😂😂🤣

Edited April 30 by buttersister

[Dirge]

I was glad that the Paris couple settled on the apartment in the 11th. Good for J'Aime. This one was new for me, too, and it was fun to see some new places. I thought that the Il de le cite or Ile St Louis were mentioned in  "While You Were Sleeping," but googling doesn't help me. Am I hallucinating? Can someone help a girl out here?

Then I saw a woman and her boyfriend moving to Malmo Sweden. He was insistent on two bathrooms, which they did not get for their price. I always wonder if people ever think, maybe we can just settle on a place for a year and then, if we're both working, get something better for year 2.

Then I saw a doctor and his wife Ashley moving to Mackay Australia. I was the tiniest bit frustrated with her and all her coffee mugs at first, until her Rob-Gronkowski-looking husband pointed out that she'd been the sole breadwinner while he pursued his studies, and she was afraid to drive on the left which goodness knows I would've been, too, then I was all Team Ashley. Odd that she and the guy from the Sweden episode were all about two bathrooms. 

It was no surprise that they took the place where Ashley could walk to shops, that was so close to Chris's work. 

ETA: I'm sorry if these were old episodes and I'm just rambling. 

 

Edited April 30 by Dirge
apology

[chessiegal]

The Paris episode last night was listed as new on my onscreen guide. The woman came across as such an airhead to me. The producers must have done a happy dance when they got their audition tape. When they were taking the boat ride and she declared there is so much history here I burst out laughing!

[proserpina65]

10 hours ago, buttersister said:

Anyway, those two were headed to the 11e from the jump. But thanks for some new places outside Le Marais, Adrian.

I found the wife's whining about that location to be incredibly annoying.  The 11th is right next to the Marais, ffs.

Actually I found the wife annoying in general, bleating on about her Parisian dream.  UGH.

I liked all three places for different reasons, but #1 was the best choice for them.

 

[Grizzly]

Agreed about the Paris wife but I did think her dress was pretty.

[Crashcourse]

I wonder how long the French husband is going to put up with his twit of a wife before he sends her back to LA.  😅

[BAForever]

"No Visa for you" Thomas and ditz wife picked the right place. She did dress well.

[Flip Flops]

I find that so many places on HHI only have a washing machine and no dryer. Where do they go to dry their clothes? It's not like there are clotheslines everywhere! 

[buttersister]

Some of those machines are combo washer/dryer. I’ve seen vlogs with drying racks stashed in closets.

[Irlandesa]

2 hours ago, Flip Flops said:

I find that so many places on HHI only have a washing machine and no dryer. Where do they go to dry their clothes? It's not like there are clotheslines everywhere! 

When I lived in Europe, I had a drying rack. 

[proserpina65]

13 hours ago, Flip Flops said:

I find that so many places on HHI only have a washing machine and no dryer. Where do they go to dry their clothes? It's not like there are clotheslines everywhere! 

Drying rack in the apartment.  Which is massively inconvenient and I would hate it.  I would either have to have both a washer & drying available or have to schlep my stuff to a laundrette.  I don't blame HHIers for wanting dryers at least in the building.

[Flip Flops]

11 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

When I lived in Europe, I had a drying rack. 

Interesting! I'm not being funny when I ask wouldn't a load of towels take forever to air dry? 

7 minutes ago, proserpina65 said:

Drying rack in the apartment.  Which is massively inconvenient and I would hate it.  I would either have to have both a washer & drying available or have to schlep my stuff to a laundrette.  I don't blame HHIers for wanting dryers at least in the building.

Agreed!