House Hunters International - General Discussion

[zipbags]

How did she move to Italy? I know immigration to European countries are very stringint.

[izabella]

Maybe she'll develop a local following because of the novelty of her non-Italian cuisine menu, but whenever I've gone to Italy, I went solely for the ITALIAN food, and I imagine that's true for most tourists.

 

Maybe it's for the locals who are tired of Italian food all the time?  Some of the items she listed sounded delicious.  She also said something about an "artist community" starting up there and wanting to make her restaurant a whole bunch of different things...art, music, show, opera, family, books, women's events, military night...she's got quite a vision for that house.

[SmithW6079]

Maybe it's for the locals who are tired of Italian food all the time?

If you're Italian, isn't it just "food"?

[DownTheShore]

As I was sitting here recuperating today, I had this thought:

The HH's always want a large kitchen to cook in when they're looking at these foreign homes and apartments, yet they always want to be in walking distance to restaurants. They never ask where the grocery stores are - to stock those large kitchens they want, only how close the restaurants are. Do they actually cook, or merely make a Caprese salad and call it a day?

[Bronx Babe]

Florida/South Carolina (?) to London.  Hubby Adam had more than a hint of a U.K. accent and I'm thinking he probably left that area for the States when he was around 10 years old or so.  The backstory didn't bother to fill us in that he was born on the other side of the pond but made it seem like they were experiencing England for the first time. (or perhaps just London. Adam might have been from some other British county)

[CherryAmes]

Another London episode tonight and while I liked the couple and liked the flat they chose (John and Megan in Hampstead Heath) what they got doesn't jibe with the info they shared on their blog.  The blog said they rented a flat above shops.  The one they got on the show didn't look like it was above any shops that I could see.  I know they play fast and loose with the back stories all the time but so far I haven't found they didn't even rent the place they said they were going to rent.  Did I miss something?

[laredhead]

CherryAmes, I seem to remember an episode several years ago where the abode shown as the choice did not belong to the HH's at all for some reason which I cannot remember, but they passed it off as theirs.  Does anyone remember that, or have I seen so many of these shows that I'm imagining things now.  Perhaps I have overdosed on house hunter shows.

[chessiegal]

CherryAmes, I seem to remember an episode several years ago where the abode shown as the choice did not belong to the HH's at all for some reason which I cannot remember, but they passed it off as theirs.  Does anyone remember that, or have I seen so many of these shows that I'm imagining things now.  Perhaps I have overdosed on house hunter shows.

I remember that - I think the reason was they simply didn't want their own apartment on tv.

[laredhead]

Thanks, Chessiegal.  Yes, now I remember there was talk about why would they go on the show if they weren't going to show the house they chose.  So glad to know my memory is still pretty much intact and hasn't been ruined by watching too much HGTV.

[CherryAmes]

I was just coming here to comment on that!  Why bother going on a show like house hunters if you aren't going to show the house you hunted??  An episode I saw that was somewhat like that was one set, I think, in the Netherlands (possibly not, Europe anyway) and the girl was shown three different places, as usual, she hemmed and hawed over all three and then ended up choosing to stay in the very large flat she was already sharing with 3 or 4 other people.  Her reasons for staying where she was were good ones but it still seemed to beg the question as to why she was on House Hunters.  I guess at least they didn't lie and have her pretend to choose one of the 3 places she looked at.

[Kohola3]

Her reasons for staying where she was were good ones but it still seemed to beg the question as to why she was on House Hunters.  

 

For the same reason most people sign up to be on a (not resembling in any universe) reality show - 15 minutes of "teevee fame".

[SmithW6079]

I was distracted by Caroline's high forehead and those long flowing dresses, but I'm glad to see that she is a legitimate chef, not just one of those poseurs we see all the time who are starting their own business.

 

Thanks for doing the research! The "opening a restaurant" story makes more a little sense and explains why she held out for the largest kitchen space for her "entertaining" which was in reality her business. But why couldn't they have just said that in the first place!

Maybe there are regulations about running a business in a home kitchen? If, as her friend said, finding a place with a large kitchen was difficult, because that's not usually the case in the town, it makes you wonder how for centuries those Italians managed to create the enormous meals they must have.  

[proserpina65]

Saw an older HHI yesterday, in the South Ken area of London.  I loved looking at the flats and of course, the lovely Toby, and I absolutely adored it when, after listening to the lengthy lists of needs and the low budget, he snorted.  But that couple - ay yi yi!  If I had to hear the woman proclaim one more time about the Earl's Court flat not being in the city, when Earl's Court is pretty much the next fricking neighborhood over, I'd have reached through the screen and slapped her.  Plus, her lack of concern over the husband being likely to hit his head on almost every single doorway in the first flat bugged me.  And neither of them seemed to get that $3000 a month doesn't buy you much in London.  That said, I did like the flat they 'picked', even if the Earl's Court one was better.  Although they never showed the bathroom for that one, so who knows what might've been lurking there.

[DownTheShore]

I do all of my cooking prep work in the two feet of counter space between my sink and my stove. It's just a matter of organization. So when these HH's decry the large counters shown them on the show saying it's not enough for their culinary masterpieces, I just look at them with disgust. I actually have more counter space on my kitchen, I simply don't need it for the prep work.

[TwirlyGirly]

Not only is my kitchen tiny, I am short-statured and I use a wheelchair for mobility. My kitchen counters (standard height) are level with the top of my shoulders, so the counters are useless to me for prep work (try making a meal while on your knees. If you're of average height, that will approximate my experience). My kitchen has NO adaptations for my disability whatsoever. I do my prep work on a small cutting board I lay across an open kitchen drawer (there's one drawer that is at the right height for chopping for me). I manage to create some fairly complicated meals using just that space for my mise en place. So no, these people complaining about too little counter space for prep get no sympathy from me at all.

[CherryAmes]

What gets me is the hue and cry over things like counterspace or the colour of the walls or that in the city, oh my god, they can hear traffic - when they are renting for pete's sake and for that matter based on snooping I've done often are not even renting for as long they claim.  One woman was barely in the flat she rented in one European country before she was off to the next one.  For the sake of a few months how much did it matter that the kitchen was small or that she wasn't in the exact centre of town?

Edited March 11, 2016 by CherryAmes

[OSM Mom]

What gets me is the hue and cry over things like counterspace or the colour of the walls or that in the city, oh my god, they can hear traffic - when they are renting for pete's sake and for that matter based on snooping I've done often are not even renting for as long they claim. One woman was barely in the flat she rented in one European country before she was off to the next one. For the sake of a few months how much did it matter that the kitchen was small or that she wasn't in the exact centre of town?

A lot of it is producer driven probably. And of course, they're probably worried about their "status".

[Spunkygal]

Regarding the family who moved to Kaiserslautern Germany...they move every 2-3 years for her job as an anesthetian (not sure about the spelling). Until she joked that she gives people gas, I didn't know what she did. I've always heard anesthesiologist. Anyway, they irked me and were painful to watch since they were trying so hard to play along with the HHI format. The teenage son HAD to have a man cave. And the dad, who is a teacher, didn't have a job (oh no!) so they are on one income. Of course he had a job by the end of the episode. What killed me is this seemingly educated and intelligent family moves to Germany with their beagle and at one point the wife asks a waiter "how do you say water in German?" WTF? Are you kidding me? Lady, if you don't know that simple word in your new country, why should you be trusted to anesthesise/anesthetize anyone? I hope you know the words oxygen or nitrous oxide. But thank God the kid got his man cave.

[DownTheShore]

That family annoyed me, especially the kid with his man cave. How old was he anyway? Why did he need access to the train? They're supposed to be avid bike riders, yet having to ride his bike to the train station was going to apparently be an ordeal for the kid. And the father with his garage for b!ke maintenance. How much maintenance does a bike really require? You ride it, bring it into wherever you store it, put down the kickstand and you're done.

It's like the ones who want a gym in their buildings but complain if they have to walk up flights of stairs to get to their apartments.

[CherryAmes]

And the dad, who is a teacher, didn't have a job (oh no!) so they are on one income.

 

The insistence on subsisting on one income (almost invariably a temporary situation) is getting on my last nerve.  The young couple relocating to London were struggling to get by on one income that allowed them to look at flats in the $2500 US per month range.  My heart bleeds for their poverty,  They chose to look in an upscale and therefore pricey area.  $2500 US per month could have stretched a lot further elsewhere - no doubt in the elsewhere where most Brits who are taking home nowhere near the income that allows a budget of $2500 US per month for rent are living.

Edited March 11, 2016 by CherryAmes

[biakbiak]

That family annoyed me, especially the kid with his man cave. How old was he anyway? Why did he need access to the train? They're supposed to be avid bike riders, yet having to ride his bike to the train station was going to apparently be an ordeal for the kid. And the father with his garage for b!ke maintenance. How much maintenance does a bike really require? You ride it, bring it into wherever you store it, put down the kickstand and you're done.

It's like the ones who want a gym in their buildings but complain if they have to walk up flights of stairs to get to their apartments.

He needed the train to get to school. As someone who's parents are avid bike riders (as in took a year sabbatical to bike around the world kind of avid) and a boyfriend who routinely does 100+ mile rides and commutes daily on one they do actually require a fair amount of maintenance when you use them frequently. Particularly mountain bikes when you are on rough trails. Also most avid bike riders don't have kickstands on their bike.

The thing that annoys me about the one income is that it's usually a lie so it's nonsense.

Edited March 11, 2016 by biakbiak

[magemaud]

I believe an "anesthetist" is a registered nurse who receives further training in "putting people under" while an "anesthesiologist" is a medical doctor specializing in administering anesthesiology. 

[DownTheShore]

I wonder if her contracts are with the US military, since there was a base in that area?

[abbyzenn]

I would say the woman in Germany was definitely working for the US military.  That group they were having a meal with at the end were all Americans. 

I rolled my eyes when she said they needed 5 bedrooms - for a family of 3 - because of all the guests they'd be having.  Who has that many people come at once unless it's a holiday like Christmas.  That kid was annoying as was the mother.

[DownTheShore]

You know as soon as the HH say that they want 3-5 bedrooms that there is no way their budget is going to cover that plus everything else that they "require".

That couple looking in "the South of France" for a second home for their family of six should have gotten that fixer instead of that one bedroom apartment. It would have been a much better long-term investment and would give them the room needed as the kids got older and had their own families.

I don't think, though, that all those kids are going to be over there at the same time just because of the airfare costs of six people at time. Bet that place is rented out even as I type this .

Edited March 13, 2016 by DownTheShore

[IrishImport]

Well I'm against the grain here but everyone's different! I loved the Kaiserslautern episode. It's what I watch HHI for. To see new places. And places that I have been to also. I was in "K-town" in 1987.

And sometimes friendly, pretty normal people that seem like they'd be fun to sit down with for a beer. (Yes, I have a busy life, this is my break time.)

I liked her laugh. They seemed more natural than most HHI folks. I know avid bikers and if they have 3 bikes each then they are avid bikers with different bikes for different uses and the bikes require lots of constant adjusting and maintenance, it's their religion practically.

Of course there is the usual silly HHI plot fakery but we're all used to that. They're grinding out a TV show with different crews around the world so they use consistent scripts/shoot outlines for cost efficiencies.

When my sons were teenagers they would have loved their own extra space. Actually I was surprised though they didn't just make that extra room by his the bike room... !

[DownTheShore]

In all seriousness, how much maintenance do they truly need? And how much is just futzing around? You check the air pressure, check the tires for wear, check the chain, make sure the spokes aren't bent, wash off the dirt, oil the gears, make sure the handlebars haven't twisted off-center, and check the brake pads and cables. I did all that back in the day when I used to have a multi-gear bike.

Edited March 13, 2016 by DownTheShore

[biakbiak]

There is definitely more to it than that for a lot of people and even if it's something you consider "tinkering," that is something they want to do and is part of the hobby. I am delighted because I never have to do anything to my own bike because my boyfriend always does it.

We have a section of our guestroom that looks like a bike shop with wheels, tires, derailers, etc. I wish we had a basement where he could put all that crap but having a guest room in SF is already a luxury.

Edited March 13, 2016 by biakbiak

[DownTheShore]

I don't begrudge anyone doing it, if that's their passion; I just don't understand the passion, I guess. I always simply viewed it as another chore to be done, and a bike as a means of getting from Point A to Point B more quickly than walking. The area I lived in was too urban and too congested for biking to be a leisure activity. We just tried not to get hit by cars, trucks or buses. =)

[MsTree]

I wanted to smack that kid every time he said "man cave"...and IMO, it should have been called "spoiled boy cave". Ugh!

Edited March 13, 2016 by MsTree

[IrishImport]

Exactly BiakBiak! The tinkering/fixing/adjusting/polishing is part of the whole hobby for them. My husband spends hours in the garage fussing with his motorcycles. I have no idea what he's doing but glad he is happy doing it. He has absolutely zero interest in my hobbies, horses, etc. Everyone has their own passions. Keeps the world interesting. You couldn't pay him $1000 to ever watch a House Hunters episode! Ever. Hah. I like them. Hey I lived in San Francisco many years. I hear you on expensive small space. I fled to Minneapolis so we could buy a house with a garage for the motorcycles. Didn't manage a horse barn though.

[magemaud]

 

I wanted to smack that kid every time he said "man cave"...and IMO, it should have been called "spoiled boy cave". Ugh!

My thoughts exactly! No, little Special Snowflake, you are NOT by any stretch of the imagination a MAN. The room should be called a "hangout room" like the other episodes regarding spaces for teenagers. 

[Mrs. P.]

I wanted to smack that kid every time he said "man cave"...and IMO, it should have been called "spoiled boy cave". Ugh!

My husband said that he bet that the man cave was the bribe the parents used to get him to come with them to Europe.

[biakbiak]

It would not surprise me if the kid was a fan of the show and decided to use the term that is frequently used. It also wouldn't surprise me if that wasn't even something he asked for during the original hunt but came up with for the show because he ended up with one in the house they choose. It made perfect sense that he got that other room because the two rooms opened into one another with pocket doors and there were six bedrooms so space wasn't an issue.

Edited March 13, 2016 by biakbiak

[Kohola3]

Just what you want to have a kid do in a foreign country with new customs and a chance to expand his mind - hide in a closed off room and play with his electronics.  I'm sure he'll be soaking up the culture that way - not!

[biakbiak]

He was actually playing a lot of drums (and i think a guitar) in his man cave, though it did have a tv and a couch.

[biakbiak]

Just a heads up tonight's episode is labeled HI Renovations, it's only 30 minutes but your dvr probably won't pick it up.

[Pickles]

The Netherlands wife had such a little girl voice. He was hugely tall. I just saw the last few minutes of the episode, so don't know any of the details. I thought at first that the wife was a child!

[biakbiak]

He was Croatian and played college basketball at Kansas State where they met.

[magemaud]

 

The Netherlands wife had such a little girl voice.

I came here to make the same comment. Coupled with her mousy voice was one of the worst cases of "up talk" I've ever heard. With her giant husband you could easily mistake her for a child. Another thing that drove me crazy was her repeating how living in Europe and experiencing another culture was her "childhood dream" then she was drawn to the house that most reminded her of "back home." My favorite part was when the realtor could barely hide her disdain when she said, "Maybe their budget could get three bedrooms in Florida, but THIS IS THE NETHERLANDS."

 

edited to fix quote

Edited March 17, 2016 by magemaud

[laredhead]

The Nethlerlands wife wanted 3 bedrooms so that all of the Croatian relatives who planned to visit would have their own room.  When the realtor finally showed them a 3 bedroom house in which one of the bedrooms had been turned into a walk in closet, she wanted that house and she wanted to keep the bedroom as a closet.  So, did she plan to put the relatives in the closet when they visited?  No mention by the realtor, that keeping that bedroom as a closet meant they would still have a 2 bedroom house which is what she had been showing them previously and wasn't acceptable to the wife.

 

I'm sure that the husband's height does present some challenges in finding a comfortable space for him considering that many places aren't built to accommodate people that tall.  It would make me a bit claustrophobic if my head was only a few inches below the ceiling.  

[aguabella]

How much do you think Mr. Fergasta's daughters from his first (and maybe second) marriage hate his current wife? There was quite an age gap between the second daughter and the third.

So not even a realtor now to show houses, but a marketing executive? Oh, HHI, you're not even trying anymore.

 

I'd quickly call them out on the realtor issue but not all areas in Europe have developed organized RE markets, following the US model.  Didn't research it but that area appeared quite small so it sounded somewhat believable.  Naturally, I seriously doubt his mother's home was available and wondered if the other home was his own pad.  (Next time, perhaps they can clean the place up before shooting???  lol)

 

The episode didn't indicate the daughters had an issue with the new wife but many people would assume that.  And, it'd be unusual if at least one of them didn't.  I'm sure their mother would have input WRT how much time they'd be spending in Europe.

[aguabella]

My husband said that he bet that the man cave was the bribe the parents used to get him to come with them to Europe.

 

Personally, I'd be surprised if it was that tough.  Most boys his age are thinking about drinking in Europe.  Looked like he was enjoying a beer in that final scene.

 

Sounded like he'd been moving every few years so he was used to it and probably expected it.  His high school friends can visit and vice versa.

 

No offense to my friends who live down there but Barstow v. Europe???  That's no contest, to me.

[aguabella]

Or why didn't they just say she was joining her Australian boyfriend? That's been a storyline before.

 

The producers rotate the storylines and simply manipulate situations to fit into whatever they're looking for.  Plus, they believe it's oh so dramatic (!) if participants have left absolutely everything behind before moving to their new location.

[aguabella]

i wonder how long the Sydney couple plans to be in Australia because at one point he said they had put their belongings in storage in the U.S, and then later he commented that they had a large bed that was being shipped over.  Can't you buy a big bed in Australia?  Why pay shipping, unless the company he works for is footing the bill.  The apartment they chose did have a weird floor plan and since they don't let their dog into the kitchen or the bedroom according to the husband, the poor dog is basically living in one small room, except for walks to the park.  I liked the other two apartments a lot more, but the one they chose was the best for his commute time, and as it turned out for hers as well since they ended up in the same building.      

 

Sounds like an editing error on the bed, laredhead.  Have noticed more of them, lately.

 

Many if not most of these folks are on 18 month corporate assignments so their companies ship a certain amount of belongings.  (Everyone wants to sleep in their own bed, right?)  And, HHI loves to use the "US stuff in storage" routine so the crew gets out of moving heavy items out of their place!

[DownTheShore]

American couple moving to Dublin for his job:

/rant on/

ENOUGH WITH THE STUPID STORYLINE ABOUT FINDING RUNNING-ROOM FOR THE DAMNED DOG!

Makes me want to find those pampered pets and turn them loose so their owners *really* have something to worry about.

They chose an apartment that had construction debris in the front yard. The female HH was worried that her Irish setter or whatever the dog was would get hurt by it. NOT IF YOU PUT THE FREAKIN' DOG ON A LEASH WHEN YOU GO PAST IT!

Between that and her worry about being ten minutes or whatever away from the "center city" because, of course, she had given up her job to make the move and didn't know *what* she would do in the more spacious apt in the Dublin suburbs.

TAKE A DAMN WALK WITH THE DAMN DOG!

KILL TIME BY TAKING PUBLIC TRANSIT INTO THE CITY CENTER!

LEARN TO SPEAK IRISH!/GAELIC!

I just can't take these idiots anymore...

/rant off/

[Peanutbuttercup]

I'm a dog lover who was, when I bought my house, specifically looking for a house with a fenced yard and a big back deck for my dog*, so I can't fault the Dublin HH'ers for their concern there.

On the other hand, it make me grind my teeth when I hear anyone -- let alone a teacher -- say "if we lay on the bed" and she's not planning to perform a miracle of human/mammalian anatomy and lay an egg.

 

*However, I am not irrational, those items on my wishlist would not have made me buy a house that otherwise I didn't like, or was above my comfort level in spending, etc.

[DownTheShore]

The Dublin couple chose the smallest place - basically a two-room apt. - the only one with no backyard for the dog, after all their supposed concern. Then we saw pictures of all the trips they've since taken around Europe and I wondered what they did with the dog while they were travelling.

Edited March 18, 2016 by DownTheShore

[morgan]

It wouldn't surprise me if they took the dog with them while they travelled. A friend just spent three years with her family in Germany and their giant dog pretty much went everywhere. Europe is very dog friendly.

[CherryAmes]

Too dog friendly sometimes.  My family stayed at more than one bed and breakfast where we found dog hairs all over the bedding because while they change the sheets between guests they don't usually change the duvet so if Doggie was reclining on the bed the next guests certainly knew about it.  And sorry I really don't want doggy hair all over my bed when it's not my dog!