House Hunters International - General Discussion

[CherryAmes]

1 hour ago, Bastet said:

There are different processes and such, but health care is considered such a fundamental right in most industrialized nations that being an immigrant is not a major obstacle.

Shortly after we moved to England I had to take my daughter to a local GP due to an ear infection.  Not once in the whole process was I ever asked how I intended to pay and they never even asked if I was in England as a tourist, an immigrant or if I was a citizen.  Even coming from Canada this was still a bit of a shock.  Another pleasant surprise was filling the inevitable prescription and finding out that prescription medicine is free for children!

[Irlandesa]

On 8/26/2016 at 11:13 AM, Mu Shu said:

Yeah, but all the "little shops and restaurants " are more of an occasional thing.  Either these people have a lot of expendable income, or they don't save shit.  Plus, it becomes boring when you go out all the time.

When I lived in Europe, shops, restaurants and cafes became very important.  I valued having them nearby.  Even though they don't specify it, having a lot of shops nearby usually means having the bread shops, specialty food shops and tiny markets nearby (as mentioned upthread.)  The benefit to that is that I only usually bought what I'd be using in the next day or two.  I had less wasted food. 

On 8/26/2016 at 1:25 PM, iMonrey said:

Then I hope they've figured that into their budgets, because eating out all the time is expensive. Being able to buy your own groceries and cook your own meals is much more economical than eating out every night. Making your own coffee and buying a box of danishes or croissants is a lot cheaper than sitting at the cafe every morning and buying an expensive latte. It may seem "glamorous" or cosmopolitan to imagine oneself out and about, stopping for brunch at the local cafe and exploring all the restaurants every night, but that money adds up. Big time.

I also think the life these people imagine for themselves is far less engaging after the newness wears off. Most of them move to very touristy places and the crowds and the noise have to get irritating after awhile. And it may seem exciting to live near a lot of quaint little shops and boutiques but really, how many times can you go into them before you're bored with everything they sell, and how much crap can you buy from these little shops anyway?

Buying a box of croissants in the grocery store, even in Europe, does not hold a candle to what you can buy fresh.  Economical is also relative to how much time you have to cook, and storage space for leftovers will determine how often you have to eat the same meal you cook.

Another plus I found about stores.  it made walking so much more interesting for me.  I didn't go into the stores near where I lived on a daily basis but I found the window scenery cut down on the boredom. 

I agree with all the thoughts about the Argentina couple.  I kept wondering what was in it for her.  It's not just that she was more attractive than he was.  It's that pretty much everything--moving down there with him, living so far out of the city--were at least presented as mainly what he wanted. 

[Kohola3]

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The American idea that ability to receive quality health care is largely dependent on financial status is, well, foreign to much of the world. 

Maybe so but our standards are pretty darned high compared to some of the countries from which I picked up patients (Guatamala, Mexico, India, Panama, Costa Rica, South Africa, Trinidad/Tobago, Venezuela, Guyana to name a few).  In some, a partially empty IV bag might be moved from one patient to another  - infection be damned. In some, only a few doses of antibiotics are available.  Some share suctioning equipment.  In one country the hospital had ONE oxygen tank for the entire patient population.  A patient was turned over to me with multiple powerful cardiac drugs running but not on a pump to titrate doses.  There are little to no regulation or standards.  

Care may be free but you may be better off not getting any!

[JasmineFlower]

1 hour ago, Kohola3 said:

Maybe so but our standards are pretty darned high compared to some of the countries from which I picked up patients (Guatamala, Mexico, India, Panama, Costa Rica, South Africa, Trinidad/Tobago, Venezuela, Guyana to name a few).  In some, a partially empty IV bag might be moved from one patient to another  - infection be damned. In some, only a few doses of antibiotics are available.  Some share suctioning equipment.  In one country the hospital had ONE oxygen tank for the entire patient population.  A patient was turned over to me with multiple powerful cardiac drugs running but not on a pump to titrate doses.  There are little to no regulation or standards.  

Care may be free but you may be better off not getting any!

Right and to piggyback off of this, and to answer some of what @mojito was asking, I don't think many of these HHs worry about getting sick as a retiree. Yes, it's expensive here, but that doesn't mean the quality is equal everywhere and that includes industrialized countries where you don't think it will be a big deal. For instance, I think many people think of Great Britain and think they'd never leave UK for the US for medical treatment, but I just had this conversation with my mom on Wednesday about her new patient here from London, whose father works as a senior exec for a Fortune 500. I'm like, why did he bring his kid here, they must be able to get the best London has to offer. They do, but the advanced techniques for cancer treatments (leukemia) aren't being done there yet. This is a common thing and also happened when she was working with adult patients. Patients from London, Tokyo, Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Buenos Aires, UAE, Qatar, and many, many more places come here when they can get better approaches to serious illness when they can afford to do so or when they are US citizens. Another place they go is Switzerland. They can get good care at home, but they can many times get the better, more advanced approaches here (which tend to have better outcomes and recovery times). And for countries that you typically think of as maybe needing to think twice about their quality of healthcare, it's a good thought to have many times. Because again, it may be cheaper and available to all, but it's also disturbing how many patients have to come here to get something that is considered routine here, literally done at community hospitals not research ones, but is either not available in their home country, or is only performed at one or two places and therefore has an extreme backup in getting a non-elective surgery. 

I remember very few HHIs talking about healthcare as a concern. Now, retirees, some of theme seem to keep two residences, which makes me think they think they'll come back if they need to. There was one Canadian couple who wanted to keep their residence for exactly that reason. As always, it would be very nice to see a true and complete Where Are They Now? HHI version, ones that aren't just glowing about the move and stayed, but others who have returned but had a good time, had to come back for other reasons including changes in health, or flat out didn't live up to the hype they made it out to be.

[Quof]

Quote

Now, retirees, some of theme seem to keep two residences, which makes me think they think they'll come back if they need to. There was one Canadian couple who wanted to keep their residence for exactly that reason.

The Canadian government has caught on to this trick, and imposed strict limitations on Snow Birds.  "What do you mean I can't live in Florida 364 days a year, and still come back to Canada for my universal health care?"

[seacliffsal]

Did anyone else catch "Castle Hunters"?  There doesn't seem to be a forum for it and it really looks like they only tried 2 episodes.  I really loved it.  I can see why they didn't have more episodes as the castle hunters didn't really understand that castles are...old.  As much as people want an historic home and then complain about the lack of amenities, etc., magnify that by a couple hundred years more and we've got castle hunters...  I liked that they gave info on annual heating costs and other upkeep costs.  It also seems that if there is only one part of the castle/home that was part of a castle the showed called the home property a castle when it really wasn't.  Oh well.  I will keep on the lookout for more episodes.  The couple in France was really interested more in chateaus than castles, but I guess "Chateau Hunters" just doesn't have the same ring to it.

[NYGirl]

I've seen Castle Hunters and I'm very intrigued since I love stuff like that.  I wonder what's next...Homeless Shelter Hunters?

I dozed off last night and I was jarred awake by the frenetic voice of the curly headed lady who looked 10 years older than her husband, trying to find a bed and bath.  I don't remember what country but boy was she annoying.  Budget, budget, budget. 

[Diane M]

You must mean the couple from Utah who were looking for a house with five bedrooms so they could open and bed and breakfast.  It was in Mexico about 30 miles south of Cancun.  That woman was so hyper!  She kept complaining about the house that was under construction and way over their budget, which her husband wanted to buy.  I knew that's the one they'd buy, so evidently they had plenty of money to finish the construction, and it turned out great.

[KLovestoShop]

The UK's health care system isn't what most of us here think it is.   It's become a shambles with people having to wait months for basic care.  They hire so many doctors and nurses that can barely speak English that causes many, many dangerous mistakes being done to patients.  And something as simple as cataract surgery is put off until the patient is nearly blind.  A lot of their NHS problems are blamed on the ever increasing migrant population where, according to their mainstream media, they are given preference over British citizens.   We had one tour guide in Scotland who's wife had to wait 10 months for an appointment for a hysterectomy.   By the time she got in, the cancer had spread.   It's all so sad to read the daily articles on how bad healthcare has become.  And it's scary  

Personally, I've never understood the desire to live in Mexico permanently.  Heck, for that matter, I don't get the desire to live on some Caribbean islands, and the business going on in Tulum is just one example.   I have friends who lived in St Lucia for years, but they moved back to Florida because of the high crime and feeling threatened.  We cruise a lot and people would be amazed by the number of tourists that are attacked by criminals, but it's all covered up for fear of scaring away tourists.   

[JasmineFlower]

1 hour ago, NYGirl said:

I dozed off last night and I was jarred awake by the frenetic voice of the curly headed lady who looked 10 years older than her husband, trying to find a bed and bath.  I don't remember what country but boy was she annoying.  Budget, budget, budget. 

I think you're being a tad generous on those years there...I was starting to guess the over/under after the 3rd or so less than flattering close-up of the pair and felt maybe I was shortchanging him at thinking 15 as a best guess.

She was SO intense. Way too much for me and as for the husband, I thought, go ahead and find yourself a project and run that bed and breakfast, cause just for sanity alone, you want to ensure some time away from her.

In the after scenes, I thought they were very casual on price after it was such as large part of the show in general, I never saw on screen or heard them go into specifics. They said they were over budget and I had to wonder if that was once the construction completed or when they bought it. I wish they had been a bit clearer on what they paid for the place initially, because after getting a look at how unfinished the space was, it's hard not to think there should have been some negotiating room there. And people selling as-is mid-renovation don't tend to be flush with cash, that's why they aren't continuing it on their own, so they want to make a deal.

[proserpina65]

On ‎08‎/‎26‎/‎2016 at 9:28 PM, izabella said:

In a lot of foreign countries, "shops" also includes the markets where they sell fruits and vegetables, as well as individual shops for meats and delis, breads and pastries, etc.  Especially in places where the kitchens are tiny with tiny fridges, people buy food for cooking meals only for that day or maybe a day or two ahead instead of stocking a fridge and freezer full all at once.

I've always lived in cities, and "shops and restaurants" mean a lot of things to me.  Within a short walking distance from my house, I have:  post office, FedEx, UPS, a small hand car wash place, drug store, two grocery stores, cheese shops, bakeries, liquor stores, fine liquor stores, chain clothes stores and unique boutiques, coffee shops, sandwich shops, pizza places, delis, ethnic food restaurants, yoga studio, gym (right across the street from the ice cream shop!), tea shop, sports gear, nick-knack stores, shoe stores, many bars (many with live music), hair salons, nail salons, massage places, shoe repair shop, chiropractors, dentists, nostalgia candy store, baby store, specialty paper store, make-up store, urgent care clinic, pet grooming and supplies, vet, and on and on.  

There is a lot to be said for being able to walk to all of that instead of having to drive or even have a car.   That is the one thing I fully understand when HHers ask for it!

Yeah, I always figure that "shops" included necessities like grocery stores.  In the Florence episode in particular.  I've been to Florence, and those little shops are where people buy their groceries and other everyday kind of items (toilet paper, etc.).  I've never thought the house hunters were referring to anything else.

Edited to note that in some episodes they certainly try to make it sound like they're after more hip social life, but even in those, I tend to think they're really talking about grocery stores.  But that wouldn't sound nearly as good.

In reference to the recent Paris re-run: yes, the agent was a hottie, and I appreciate his finally saying that they weren't going to get 2 bedrooms for their budget.  Also, bitch can get into the center of Paris by Metro in about 15 minutes, so shut up.  Oh, and being a total cheese-a-holic, I was massively envying having fancy cheese shops easily at hand.

Edited August 29, 2016 by proserpina65

[SmithW6079]

On 8/26/2016 at 9:11 PM, juliet73 said:

NY to Argentina couple:  UGH!  I agree with everyone else....what an odd couple!  She was attractive, seemed to have a great personality, gave up EVERYTHING, etc!  "Ginger Ice"....not so much! I was cracking up in the beginning with the stage and all their equipment and their "audience" looked like the girlfriend, a few friends, and their parents...in the front yard! I couldn't resist and looked him up and Facebook.  It looks like he finished his 1000+ page book back in June. If it's anything like his rapping, I won't be looking for it on the NY Times Bestseller List.  Also, it looks like they were/are only planning on being out there for one year.  They moved out there in Sept 2015 so they should be returning back to the US very soon.

Whenever "Ginger Ice" was on the screen, all I could think about was Federline Jones a/k/a Gabriel Friedman, from "The Cleveland Show."

I didn't think her personality was all that great. There was definitely some "Jewish American Princess" happening there. 

 

On 8/27/2016 at 9:28 PM, biakbiak said:

Hell for many Manhattanites the Staten Island move would be more of a deal breaker!

When I worked in Manhattan, even going to Brooklyn for something was kind of a pain in the ass, let alone Staten Island.

Federline Jones:

Edited August 29, 2016 by SmithW6079

[iMonrey]

Quote

Did anyone else catch "Castle Hunters"?  There doesn't seem to be a forum for it and it really looks like they only tried 2 episodes. 

Probably because there aren't many people who want to, or can afford to, buy a castle. And even if there were, there's a limited supply of them available.

[juliet73]

2 hours ago, SmithW6079 said:

Whenever "Ginger Ice" was on the screen, all I could think about was Federline Jones a/k/a Gabriel Friedman, from "The Cleveland Show."

I didn't think her personality was all that great. There was definitely some "Jewish American Princess" happening there.

Federline Jones:

LOL and totally agree about Federline Jones!!

[Ohwell]

6 hours ago, NYGirl said:

I dozed off last night and I was jarred awake by the frenetic voice of the curly headed lady who looked 10 years older than her husband, trying to find a bed and bath.  I don't remember what country but boy was she annoying.  Budget, budget, budget. 

Was the woman kinda bug-eyed, like she was on some kind of drug?  If so, I remember seeing that episode several weeks ago.  

[NYGirl]

Yes she was Ohwell.  I remembered her too and I also remembered which property they chose so it didn't matter that I kept dozing off during it.  We had pretty extensive postings about her the first time it aired.

[psychoticstate]

Since I felt like a slug yesterday, I spent the afternoon marathoning HHI as if my life depended on it.  

I have clearly chosen the wrong path in life because I would love to decide that I have had enough of Southern California's traffic, population and hectic nature and chuck it all to move to Paris, or London, or Italy or the Netherlands.  I also wouldn't hate it to be able to wake up, drink coffee, take a leisurely walk along the beach/river/whatever and just enjoy life, without a care in the world.  Gah.

I would also like to be able to exceed my budget by a million dollars and not even blink about it.

[JasmineFlower]

I went into the Morocco episode thinking I'd skip it, I didn't need to watch this woman and her fantasy. As I watched a few minutes though I got sucked in. I was charmed by this House Hunter and her positive outlook and how she was looking largely for the positives in everything she was seeing. She was reasonable with the second place realizing where she was living and fitting in properly into their world might not work great for her or for them. And the third place, she was like, this is terrible, then still was only positive about the size of the space and the garden. She was so different than so many of the complaining, whiny House Hunters we see. Although the realtor did need to bring her down a bit, it was like a pleasant trip doing so, I think even the realtor was surprised by how positive she was. I wish her the best, glad she completed her marathon across the desert, is riding again and love she's found work with a non-profit empowering girls.

[mojito]

Alice, the Marrakesh/Marrakech lady....someone you'd like to know. A gutsy, upbeat lady. I could never have chosen the place she did. No matter where I lived, I would want "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place" (my Hemingway tribute), and that place wasn't that. I can handle old, but cracked and dirty-looking, no. I guess I'd be one of those people who would like a modern place that felt a bit more like what I was used to (wouldn't whine about 'fridge size or only two burners and no oven, though). I mean, you're in a whole 'nother country, you can get all the cultural flavor once you're outdoors. I, too, liked Alice's end story. 

[AuntiePam]

I liked her too -- so upbeat and enthusiastic.  I didn't see that the place she chose was as "groddy" ("grotty"?) as she said when she first looked at it.  I figured maybe it just smelled like it wasn't clean.  It didn't look much different at the end, so maybe what bugged her was fixed with some Lysol and elbow grease.

I wondered if her $600 budget was with or without roommates.  Maybe it was with, since the place was $200 over budget.  Renting next to a university like she did -- good idea, if you need roommates.

[iMonrey]

I don't know, on the one hand I agree that Alice's attitude was upbeat and refreshing. On the other hand, she sort of had "midlife crisis" written all over her. And for someone who's supposed to be running marathons, hiking the Andes and biking from Scotland to London she didn't look all that fit. Maybe she's just solid muscle but I'd never look at her and peg her as someone who runs marathons. 

And I could never in a million years move to Marrakesh. It's got to be hotter than hell there and I don't care how "colorful" it is, I don't want to live somewhere where most of the toilets don't even work. 

[JasmineFlower]

I don't think Alice was having a midlife crisis at all. That implies something has recently changed to bring about this lifestyle and while the move to Marrakesh is new, almost everything else about her approach and personality was not. She spoke early on about how she was a biking enthusiast forever and traveling the world since she basically was old enough to and they showed pictures to that effect. She chose Marrakesh because she'd visited previously. As for her physical fitness, I think that's her getting older and her body changing. While I agree that I wouldn't pick her out as someone who does marathons, that's not true of the pictures of her shown in the beginning when she was doing bike marathons. Much slimmer with the look of someone who spends their time outdoors. So, I think time and you never know, life or illness, may have influenced her current figure, where she's in shape, but not as obviously so.

Like I said before, I enjoyed her bright and positive life outlook and wish her nothing but the best. And nothing about her seemed like this was a phase, but that's watching from start to finish. If you missed any part of the beginning, I can see how it might come off that way. But if you've been doing this for years and years, it's not a midlife crisis at all. If anything, it sounded like the office job and living back home in Edinburgh was the outlier for her more than moving to Marrakesh. 

[iMonrey]

My impression was that she set out to bike from Edinburgh to London on a lark, which was then followed by a hike through the Andes. Not a lifelong love of adventure but rather some sort of epiphany that she was tired of the "rat race" (her words) and decided to quit her job and travel. Which is great if you can afford to do such a thing. I don't begrudge her that. But it did in fact seem like something just "snapped" one day and she decided to chuck it all for a bohemian lifestyle. And yes, that does in fact make me think "midlife crisis." If a guy had done that, that's what we'd all be saying.

[KLovestoShop]

I applaud Alice for her gutsy approach to life and positive attitude.  But as someone who's traveled the world, there are some countries I would never have the balls to live in as a single woman, and Morocco is one of them.  When we stopped there as a part of our world cruise, we were warned to be very careful as Westerners, that are targeted by local men.  

I was totally shocked by her choice. It was the most expensive, and considering her numerous comments with regards to budget, I would have thought she'd choose the beautiful, and clean, and SAFE, house number one.  The one she chose looked filthy and that sofa was stained by who knows what.  

And how wonderful that she works for girl power, something that's so important in that part of the world.  

[biakbiak]

I have spent a lot of time travelling around Morocco both by myself and with others and never had an issue, basic common goes a long way.

[AuntiePam]

I didn't think mid-life crisis, but I did think maybe she lost her job, and that was the impetus for the big change. 

[JasmineFlower]

2 hours ago, iMonrey said:

My impression was that she set out to bike from Edinburgh to London on a lark, which was then followed by a hike through the Andes. Not a lifelong love of adventure but rather some sort of epiphany that she was tired of the "rat race" (her words) and decided to quit her job and travel. Which is great if you can afford to do such a thing. I don't begrudge her that. But it did in fact seem like something just "snapped" one day and she decided to chuck it all for a bohemian lifestyle. And yes, that does in fact make me think "midlife crisis." If a guy had done that, that's what we'd all be saying.

For me, you are discounting the other things she said and all the photos they supplied in the beginning montage and just focusing on her rat race comments. She was a decade younger in some of the photos that were shown in the beginning. There was no sudden epiphany, this wasn't on a lark. I'm not saying you have to like her or what she's doing, but it was very clear this wasn't a new thing for her, she'd been travelling and riding for some time. Seriously, face clearly much younger and body substantially different than it currently is. She didn't pick up a bike a year ago, which is much more like a midlife crisis. She's clearly been training and doing adventures for a while now, even if she had a more ordinary job in Edinburgh more recently that she was happy to ditch in her move to Morocco for a more complete lifestyle change.

Edited August 30, 2016 by JasmineFlower

[Amethyst]

Just saw the rerun with the couple who moved to the Cayman Islands and ended up buying a boat.  I thought Greg (the husband) was a jerk.  The whole time he kept talking about how this was his dream, and he wanted to live on the water/ocean.  I felt bad for Mika (the wife).  She may have griped a bit about the washer/dryer, but at least she was trying to keep the budget in mind, since she knew Greg was the only one working.  

You could tell Mika wasn't thrilled with the final choice.  I know so much of this is staged, but if you're downgrading from 1200 sq ft to 150 sq ft, that place better be incredible.  Plus, they had two large dogs.  No way.  Talk about being on top of each other.  I wonder if Mika went along with it since she was the one who mentioned moving to the islands in the first place, and maybe they'll live on the houseboat for a year or so and buy a real property when they saved up more money.

Edited August 31, 2016 by Amethyst

[JasmineFlower]

I remember that couple from a previous airing and saw some of it briefly last night. I didn't mind either of them in any big way, and though I did find their choice of a boat an odd one, I thought your final point is why she would have to go along with it. She was clearly complaining regularly about living in a place with cold weather. She was bringing up jobs for him in warm places and pushing him to apply, that's more than mere mention. They move to a place with warm weather, drop an income, and realize, it's not just going to be harder, it's going to be a whole heck of a lot more difficult because this place is way more expensive than they bargained for. Lord knows why they thought small city/resort town in Colorado that I've never heard of would be on par, cost wise with Grand Caymans, but I remember, they basically did. 

You know how we see many HHI episodes where they overextend themselves with their choice, going a few hundred over their expected budget, but it's all good because in the "after" the spouse/partner now has a job? That didn't seem to be in the cards here. So, while I don't think this was a conventional choice, I kind of felt like it was a lot more real in some ways because it wasn't nearly the "dream" we typically see them act like it is to move abroad and sacrifices had to be made. In terms of staying on the boat long-term, here is a good example of wanting to see a Where Are They Now. Without a promotion and a bump in pay or her being able to work, I'd expect this couple to be back in the US sooner than later because I do think the costs of the island really were shocking to them. There are several Caribbean islands where you could move and things may be cheaper in some ways, Grand Cayman is well known to not be one of them.

The dogs were by far the most ridiculous part of the equation for me in living on the boat. I didn't get that at all.

Edited August 31, 2016 by JasmineFlower

[iMonrey]

Yes, I worried for the dogs. It's funny because all through this episode it struck me that the realtor could barely tolerate them, and I guess it's because they didn't buy any properties from her. Assuming she's an actual realtor and not just some re-enactor the show hired, she's probably sick to death of people looking for beachfront property who don't have any money. And there was something odd about that last place she showed them. It appeared to be part of a larger housing unit but they only showed a portion of it. Maybe a lot of people who lived there didn't want their homes to be on TV.

[Kohola3]

Quote

... she's probably sick to death of people looking for beachfront property who don't have any money.

I would dearly love to have a realtor (real or fake) laugh out loud when the idiots name a price that wouldn't buy a boat house let alone a real house on the water.  "Seriously, Mr. and Mrs. X are you out of your freaking minds?  This is (fill in the blank).  What the hell are  you thinking"?

[Amethyst]

1 hour ago, JasmineFlower said:

She was clearly complaining regularly about living in a place with cold weather. She was bringing up jobs for him in warm places and pushing him to apply, that's more than mere mention. They move to a place with warm weather, drop an income, and realize, it's not just going to be harder, it's going to be a whole heck of a lot more difficult because this place is way more expensive than they bargained for. Lord knows why they thought small city/resort town in Colorado that I've never heard of would be on par, cost wise with Grand Caymans, but I remember, they basically did. 

The fact that he kept saying that it was a dream for him to live on the water implied that the move didn't take a lot of convincing for him anyway.  At least Mika was aware that they were only living on one salary.  IA that they didn't do enough (or any) research about the housing market in the CI, but it wouldn't make for good tv viewing if they had.

Quote

In terms of staying on the boat long-term, here is a good example of wanting to see a Where Are They Now. Without a promotion and a bump in pay or her being able to work, I'd expect this couple to be back in the US sooner than later because I do think the costs of the island really were shocking to them. There are several Caribbean islands where you could move and things may be cheaper in some ways, Grand Cayman is well known to not be one of them.

I would be interested in that, too.  Never even considered the possibility of them moving back to the US, but yeah, this could easily be something they stick out for a year before returning to the States, or moving to a cheaper location.  At any rate, I don't see the houseboat being long-term, the "adventure" stuff was code for "this is temporary."  The boat may have been reasonable since they hated the properties so much, but it ultimately came down to what Greg wanted.  Remember how important it was for them to have a guest room?  Welp, that ain't happening with 150 sq ft and two dogs.  

I was also amused that the realtor didn't like them much.  Since she didn't get the sale, I'm not surprised that we didn't see her again.

[iMonrey]

We have to remember how scripted these shows are and that they were already living on the boat when they applied to be on the show, so they had to go around and pretend to look at houses just to make an episode. Whether they originally set out to live on a boat or not is another matter. But it amused me to see the wife turn her nose up at laundry in the kitchen only to wind up in a 150 square foot boat cabin with a bed next to the kitchen. I'm sure there's no laundry whatsoever.  Also, I know there's probably some sort of rudimentary toilet in that cabin but is there any kind of shower, or do they have to shower at the marina?

Edited August 31, 2016 by iMonrey

[pally]

They only stayed in Cayman for a year.  They are back to Colorado in Mar.  Job transfer with a promotion.  He works for Ritz Carlton.

Edited August 31, 2016 by pally

[iMonrey]

I had to look up Larissa Reinhart because I'd never heard of her before but she is in fact an author with a large series of mystery books. I'm unable to find any good reviews of them but they seem legit. Most recent bibliography says she lives in Georgia now though so I guess they didn't stay long in Japan.

I knew the minute they looked at that first house that was the one they picked, because the kid's bedroom very conveniently had two beds and the master had one. 

So - the kids . . . were they Japanese? They said they'd lived in Japan before, so did they adopt their daughters there? Seemed kind of strange there was no mention of it. Clearly those weren't their biological kids. Not trying to cast aspersions against adoption or anything (#SimoneBiles), just wondering.

I also noticed they were very cagey about specifying who the husband worked for - some automotive company. Weren't they allowed to say, if he worked for Toyota or something like that?

[Ohwell]

I liked the couple moving to Japan.  A huge bonus was that the wife didn't have vocal fry. 

[Kira53]

On August 12, 2016 at 3:14 PM, AuntiePam said:

I agree about the white glasses, and was glad he wasn't wearing them in every scene.  And that made me wonder why he wore them at all.  Usually if you wear glasses, you wear them all the time, or you wear them just for reading. 

Did anyone notice where they put the girls' beds?  The extra "bedroom" was too small, and the upstairs playroom didn't have much space either.  We saw them playing with toys in that room, but I didn't see any beds.

I also hated the white glasses but I know some people are very attention seeking. He looked very ordinary so he might have felt he looked very special with eye catching different glasses.  

He probably wore contact lenses when he didn't wear the glasses.  I didn't think he was so phoney that he was wearing clear lenses.

Edited September 3, 2016 by Kira53

[mojito]

6 hours ago, iMonrey said:

So - the kids . . . were they Japanese? They said they'd lived in Japan before, so did they adopt their daughters there? Seemed kind of strange there was no mention of it. Clearly those weren't their biological kids. Not trying to cast aspersions against adoption or anything (#SimoneBiles), just wondering.

Why would they explain a thing like that? Why should anyone clarify that their children are adopted?  These are their children. Period. 

[Bronx Babe]

The Japan episode was interesting, to say the least.

The narrator made mention of the fact that Godzilla movies were filmed in their city.  Being an impressionable horror movie fan, I'd be terrified living there, lol.

Edited September 2, 2016 by Bronx Babe

[Twiz44]

I kept thinking, "Oh, Andrew....step away from your parents and put on your Barcelona big boy pants." And he did! But I can't help but wonder what happened in Madrid that was so awful.

[magemaud]

I came here, too, to urge Andrew to CUT THE DAMN CORD! Talk about Helicopter Parents! One of the main reasons his parents wanted him to get a two bedroom apartment was so that they could come and visit, so they were willing to chip in another $ 250 a month. I was practically screaming at the TV, "Keep your  $ 3000 and put it towards a hotel room or Air BnB rental when you DO come to see him!" 

[mojito]

Andrew's parents wanted him to get a two-bedroom apartment because it could be very difficult to get "short-notice accommodations" in local hotels. With a second bedroom, I'm thinking, they can come to visit any time. Good old Andrew wanted to be independent and probably didn't want his parents popping over any time they wanted. Good for you, kid. I can understand that his parents might be overprotective of their artsy late-in-life surprise child who's had a major stumble in his adult life, and maybe even feel that he was a little gypped of the cool childhood that his siblings had (with younger parents, at that). But they gave Andrew his space in the end. Good for you, Mom and Dad.

Asides: I kept thinking, as I watched this, I'll bet his brothers and sisters are all fabulously successful (and practical) professionals, too, thus designating Andrew the black sheep of the family....He sure looks a lot taller than his father....The kid didn't say anything about cooking, yet his mother wanted him to have a large kitchen....Why would a single, young man want to live in a "family friendly" neighborhood? Seriously, Mom, can't you think about his life a little more?

[juliet73]

I thought it was odd that Barcelona boy was broker than a crack smoker but wanted to be near the restaurants and bars, etc.  That ain't cheap. His helicopter parents chip in some money so he doesn't have to live in a slum, but then he complains there is no balcony in the nice apt.  In the end,  I'm glad that he went with what he wanted and paid for it himself. Am I the only one that was surprised to hear that he had a GIRLfriend?

[Albino]

If you must have a balcony to write, you're not really much of a writer.   Unless you write exclusively about historical architecture.   Overall I liked the kid...he was not overly demanding (except of course...the non-balcony deal breaker), didn't give a shit about the kitchen, the floors, or the bathrooms.

2 hours ago, Twiz44 said:

I can't help but wonder what happened in Madrid that was so awful.

I think it was just that he couldn't get any writing gigs.  (I wonder if his apartment in Madrid had a balcony?  That may have been the problem...)  So he snagged a real job in Barcelona at some sports TV station or magazine writing about soccer.  Hopefully his full time job will give him enough money to pay rent, entertain, and write about what he really wants to write about in his spare time.  

Edited September 2, 2016 by Albino

[SmithW6079]

6 hours ago, Albino said:

If you must have a balcony to write, you're not really much of a writer.

That's been the theme in a few of the recent HHIs: the gay couple moving to I forget where, some place in South America, so bald husband would be able to write his screenplay; "Ginger Ice," the Jewish rapper and his girlfriend moving to Argentina so he could finish his book. 

[TVForever]

I giggled a little when the realtor at the beginning of the Barcelona episode said that the son was " a romantic dreamer", while the parents were " more realistic" in terms of needs vs budget.

What? I thought it was just the opposite. He seemed like he would have been happy with a hole in the wall in a funky neighborhood if it had a balcony. A wish for outdoor space isn't unreasonable- at least he didn't demand a yard or garden in the middle of a city. The parents, on the other hand, seemed to want a second home in Barcelona that their son just happens to live in. A young single man generally doesn't wish for a big kitchen in a family-friendly neighborhood.

All the complaints about the first apartment were just silly. We were shown one spot where plaster was a little chipped. Whatever. Dingy floors? Two words: A mop.  When Dad asked ( when comparing the 1 br/balcony with the 2 br/ no balcony), " would you really get that much use of a balcony?", I wanted to scream, "Yes! He will use that balcony SO much more than he will use a second bedroom!"

I know this is mostly fake drama, but it's still fun to play along. That apt was perfect for a young single person. I hope he's enjoying his adventure.

[iMonrey]

Quote

All the complaints about the first apartment were just silly. We were shown one spot where plaster was a little chipped.

Yeah - it was a little over-the-top to suggest there was too much work to make that space "livable" simply because there were chips in the drywall. Or that the closet door needed fixing. Oh noes!

That third apartment was such a fake-out! Obviously someone was already living there - whose books were those? There was even a printer on one of the shelves. Even furnished apartments don't come with shelves full of books and a printer.

Quote

Why would they explain a thing like that? Why should anyone clarify that their children are adopted?

Because they're going on TV and they know people will wonder? I mean, in a perfect world nobody would bat an eye but let's face it, I'm sure they get asked about this all the time. And the only reason it seemed remiss not to address it was because they were moving to Japan. The children were Japanese, the parents were not, and they'd lived in Japan before. I wondered what the connection was. If they were moving to Paris or Melbourne I'd just go "Oh look they adopted Japanese children, NBD."

[AuntiePam]

As soon as Andrew's parents started talking about a second bedroom, I knew he'd take the first place.  He handled his parents very tactfully, without hurting their feelings.  And he "found" a girlfriend! 

The minor repairs needed -- wouldn't the landlord be responsible for those? 

[iMonrey]

I got my first apartment for cheap because it had red shag carpeting (no lie). If the landlord had updated the carpeting, the lighting and the window blinds, the rent would probably have been higher. So yeah - the landlord could fix the broken closet door and replaster the walls and paint, but then he'd probably turn around and rent it for more money. The price Andrew got it for was "as is." No harm in asking the landlord to fix the closet or the walls, but the landlord isn't necessarily obliged to do it if he can rent it out as is without doing any work. I imagine the landlord would be required to fix structural issues if they were a danger not to, or fix basic plumbing and heating issues, although I don't know how the law works in Spain. But the things that were "wrong" with that place looked completely cosmetic.

[biakbiak]

9 hours ago, iMonrey said:

 

Because they're going on TV and they know people will wonder? I mean, in a perfect world nobody would bat an eye but let's face it, I'm sure they get asked about this all the time. And the only reason it seemed remiss not to address it was because they were moving to Japan. The children were Japanese, the parents were not, and they'd lived in Japan before. I wondered what the connection was. If they were moving to Paris or Melbourne I'd just go "Oh look they adopted Japanese children, NBD."

I doubt the girls were Japanese, from 1999-2015 there were only 544 adoptions by American parents and most of those at least one parent was of Japanese descent.