House Hunters International - General Discussion

[chocolatine]

15 minutes ago, mojito said:

For those of you who have lived in Western Europe....Do you have any sense pet ownership there vs the US? I'm kind of surprised at all the Americans who take their pets to rent city apartments in Europe and points south of the US and then want outdoor space. Outdoor space is about the last thing I would expect to find in an apartment rental. 

I've lived in apartments both in Europe (Germany/UK/Spain) and in the US (Seattle), and in my experience, pet ownership is a lot less common among European apartment dwellers than among US ones. Like the Rotterdam realtor said, many landlords don't allow pets due to the damage they do to flooring and furnishings, and pet sitting/boarding/walking services aren't as common, so pets aren't practical for people with "on the go" lifestyles.

Edited December 18, 2016 by chocolatine

[biakbiak]

It depends. My parents were the only Americans living in their apartment building in Prague and nearly all their neighbors had dogs. My friends recently moved to Berlin and they found it easier to find a place that allowed dogs than they did when living in San Francisco.

[Pine]

Cheltenham couple was confusing, although they were there for her job.

The Rotterdam couple were the most confusing.    They just didn't have an adventuresome personality.   Like the world's largest ball of twine would be more interesting than the Mona Lisa.  I am sounding snobbish, but there's just something off about this couple.

And please do some with your hair Rotterdam HH girl, again just off to me.

Edited December 18, 2016 by Pine

[MsProudSooner]

Was the Rotterdam couple the ones who moved there with no jobs?  How does anyone rent an apartment to people who don't have jobs?  I find that very had to believe.

[Kohola3]

Quote

I find that very had to believe.

Pretty much everything we see on any version of HH requires suspension of disbelief.  It's all as fake as fake can be.

[abbyzenn]

Rotterdam couple:  No mention of what jobs they had in the US and no mention of finding jobs in Europe.  So were they really only planning on being there a short time?  ALso if you're going to spend a major portion of your time traveling I would think a dog would hinder you - unless you're driving everywhere but I don't recall them mentioning anything about a car.  And if you're going to travel without the dog that would rack up the kennel fees.  This episode was very odd as to what was really going on.

Re:  the banana bread.  You can easily make something like this in a toaster oven.

I also find it eye rolling when someone is moving to a new country and sold all their belongings before coming there and then complain about the lack of cupboard space in the kitchen.  I mean seriously how much kitchen stuff are you going to buy, especially when money is an issue?  I'd think you'd just get the very basics.

[proserpina65]

On ‎12‎/‎17‎/‎2016 at 4:02 PM, StatisticalOutlier said:

Re: Rotterdam woman who wanted an oven so bad because she loved to bake.  And what did she bake?  Banana bread.  Even I can make banana bread.  That's not baking.

Still requires an oven, though, even if that's all you ever bake.

[AlleC17]

Just binged on HHI leftovers from when I was away at Thanksgiving and had to comment on  the couple moving to Phillip Island, Australia.  She was an artist from Scotland and he was an Aussie paleontologist, and they met when she signed up on one of his digs, which I took to mean she was a student?  It was not clear except she had no clue what she was doing.  Anyway, they married, and now she want to move to PI because of the art community there, even though it would add quite a bit to his commute.  The place they chose was not appealing to me, hopefully it was to them however.  The thing that bugged me the most about her was that not only did he have to travel more but she turned the master bedroom into her art studio.  What a selfish woman...maybe I was in a bad mood when watching, but seriously, the place wasn't that big and this is how she treats him.  Her affected manner irritated the crap out of me, so maybe that helped color my judgement.  lol

Edited December 19, 2016 by AlleC17

[StatisticalOutlier]

23 hours ago, MsProudSooner said:

Was the Rotterdam couple the ones who moved there with no jobs?  How does anyone rent an apartment to people who don't have jobs?  I find that very had to believe.

It was in Austin, and many years ago, but I once rented a condominium from a guy; his mother owned the condo but had been moved to a nursing home.  Met him at a friend of mine's house to sign the lease, and after it was all finished, he said, "Who's your employer?"  I said, "Oh, I don't have a job."  OMG, the look on his face!

But I said I'd just moved back to town and was a lawyer and would get a job pretty quick, and I he derived a tiny bit of comfort from that and the fact that the house met at was in the nicest part of town.  I was very careful to be timely with the rent. 

[chocolatine]

2 hours ago, proserpina65 said:

Still requires an oven, though, even if that's all you ever bake.

The question is not really how much does she need an oven, but how much does she need the banana bread. Some of the best things about travel/living abroad is to try new things, shake up your routines, open your mind to different ways of living, and challenge your own assumptions about what are "necessities". They are living in the Netherlands and planning to travel all over Europe, which means they'll have access to many fantastic bakeries and hundreds of varieties of baked goods. Is it really an absolute must then to be able to bake banana bread on a regular basis while living in NL? 

[izabella]

Maybe banana bread is her favorite comfort food?  There is something to be said for comfort food!  Of course, in the Netherlands, they do offer those awfully comforting brownies in their coffee shops, lol.

[Ohwell]

If I lived in the Netherlands and was also able to travel around Europe, I'd say screw the banana bread.  

[proserpina65]

19 hours ago, izabella said:

Maybe banana bread is her favorite comfort food?  There is something to be said for comfort food!  Of course, in the Netherlands, they do offer those awfully comforting brownies in their coffee shops, lol.

I'd rather have banana bread than pot.  Plus, hash brownies aren't nearly gooey & fudgy enough.  Wouldn't keep me from moving to the Netherlands, though, if only for the cheese.

But hey, we all know this shite is fake as hell, and the oven for her banana bread was her dra-mah! for the episode.

[StatisticalOutlier]

3 hours ago, proserpina65 said:

But hey, we all know this shite is fake as hell, and the oven for her banana bread was her dra-mah! for the episode.

The thing is, the drama is manufactured.  Seems to me if you're not constrained by the truth, you could do a better job of it.

[proserpina65]

2 hours ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

The thing is, the drama is manufactured.  Seems to me if you're not constrained by the truth, you could do a better job of it.

And yet, they never do.  It's always stupid things like ovens or bathtubs or having to walk ten minutes to the Underground.  Just once I liked to see "this is the perfect house/apartment/flat and has absolutely everything we want for less than we wanted to spend, but someone was murdered here last month".

Edited December 20, 2016 by proserpina65

[copshop]

On 12/16/2016 at 0:30 AM, KLovestoShop said:

The friend of the Philippines guy was an immature jerk.  He obviously thought he was hot stuff, yeah right.  He needed to be told that this is his friend's house and not his personal party palace.  

I loved him!

I did not, however, love the apartment. Who could live under a freeway like that?

Rotterdam couple were the worst kind of HHI episode. It made no sense that they would move there with no job and drag three pets over for that silliness. I love Netherlands overall episodes though--one of the places I would like to live, though in a smaller town. It was neat to see that city as it is often overlooked--but a rich person looking at modern architecture would be a much more interesting peek.

[scrb]

Maybe the people didn't want to divulge what they did for a living?

Some guys have come on and said they're in Internet marketing.  That could mean they make money from malware, porn or some kind of scam.

[VanSensei]

Right now is a guy who's from the UK and moving to Poland. Fuck, by European standards, houses in Poland are big. Consider that in the UK, an 800 sq. ft house is considered average.

[AuntiePam]

Their budget was $400-$500K, so I'd expect the houses they were shown to be a good size.  Seems like prices in that area of Poland -- Tri-City -- with waterfront -- were similar to prices in coastal area of the US -- expensive.

That much would get a McMansion in the Midwest. 

Interesting couple.  They said they met at work but I don't recall that they said what they do.  My guess is some kind of finance, investments. 

[Ohwell]

The UK to Poland couple and the real estate agent--they all were so low key and lifeless, I almost found myself dozing off.  I don't even remember which place they chose. 

[AuntiePam]

They chose the one with the private garden -- a nice patch of green and a fence. 

The wife sorta zoned out at times.  She'd be looking down or off in the distance, like she was thinking of something else, maybe "Why did I sign up for this?"  She did come to life when their son was around though.

[laredhead]

AuntiePam, I thought the same thing about the wife in the UK to Poland episode.  Almost like either the real estate agent or the husband was going to have to nudge her to get her to respond or say something and then I could barely hear her when she spoke.  I liked the apartment they chose and the garden was lovely.  Did think it was odd that the little boy was still sleeping in their bedroom since he looked to be at least a year and a half old.  

[TVForever]

Hee, the UK to Poland episode!

This may be the first time I ever watched an episode and wondered who signed up to be on the show. The husband seemed game enough for the experience-but he seemed like the only one. The wife and the realtor both seemed like they were participating under threat of death.

That aside, I actually enjoyed the location of this episode. I've never heard of this area of Poland. It was really beautiful there, and SEASIDE! I love the shore.

[chessiegal]

Couple moving to Costa Rica - what the hell does having celiac disease have to do with needing a big kitchen? The 1st kitchen was too small because she needed to prepare meals because of her celiac disease. It had a stove, refrigerator, and sink. Put in a table you nut. And the airplane bathroom in another place - don't get me started. She was super annoying.

[VanSensei]

2 hours ago, chessiegal said:

Couple moving to Costa Rica - what the hell does having celiac disease have to do with needing a big kitchen? The 1st kitchen was too small because she needed to prepare meals because of her celiac disease. It had a stove, refrigerator, and sink. Put in a table you nut. And the airplane bathroom in another place - don't get me started. She was super annoying.

Also this has to be said: Have a fucking plan or job lined up BEFORE you move countries.

[debraran]

On 12/20/2016 at 3:30 PM, proserpina65 said:

And yet, they never do.  It's always stupid things like ovens or bathtubs or having to walk ten minutes to the Underground.  Just once I liked to see "this is the perfect house/apartment/flat and has absolutely everything we want for less than we wanted to spend, but someone was murdered here last month".

Yes. I always said even with the tiny house shows, I could never pretend to be that ditzy or entitled, (although some might be)

I'm surprised how so many can bring pets, I always thought that was difficult with other countries and quite hard on the animal depending on the age, etc.

[Ohwell]

12 hours ago, chessiegal said:

Couple moving to Costa Rica - what the hell does having celiac disease have to do with needing a big kitchen? The 1st kitchen was too small because she needed to prepare meals because of her celiac disease. It had a stove, refrigerator, and sink. Put in a table you nut. And the airplane bathroom in another place - don't get me started. She was super annoying.

I remember that episode and there were a lot of comments about her being annoying.  If I remember correctly, he was only going to be there for a year or so?  I wondered why she didn't just stay the hell back in the States and visit him when she could, until he came back home.  It was unfortunate about her celiac disease but I got tired of hearing about it.  

[Kohola3]

Quote

It was unfortunate about her celiac disease but I got tired of hearing about it. 

Seriously, that has nothing whatsoever to do with choosing a dwelling.  Certainly there are health issues that might need to be addressed such as stairs if someone has mobility issues.  But unless there is no bathroom, celiac disease doesn't limit real estate choices.  It's like saying I can't live there because I have red hair.  Just stupid.

[biakbiak]

2 hours ago, Ohwell said:

I remember that episode and there were a lot of comments about her being annoying.  If I remember correctly, he was only going to be there for a year or so?  I wondered why she didn't just stay the hell back in the States and visit him when she could, until he came back home.  It was unfortunate about her celiac disease but I got tired of hearing about it.  

They never stated he was only there for a year. Their storyline was that they had stressful lives in Chicago and wanted to slow down and spend more time together. He was keeping his jobb and telecommuting but wanted to be close to the an airport because he was regularly flying back to Chicago. His job had nothing to do with Costa Rica and they chose to move there because he studied there in college and loved it.

Two of the kitchens she complained about were poorly laid out/not fully equipped. She chose the one that had all the appliances and I believe added a table and some extra storage.

Edited December 24, 2016 by biakbiak

[Bastet]

I didn't see the episode, but maybe the (poorly-communicated) issue with her celiac disease was that, given she has to cook almost all her meals since it's difficult to eat out/order in and truly be secure there's no "hidden" harmful ingredients, cross-contamination, etc., a kitchen with ample work and storage space was very important to her?

[scrb]

I walked about 10 minutes in London in January this year.

Cold and windy, not pleasant.

You could also take the bus though you might have to wait and also switch.

[Ohwell]

1 hour ago, biakbiak said:

They never stated he was only there for a year. Their storyline was that they had stressful lives in Chicago and wanted to slow down and spend more time together. He was keeping his jobb and telecommuting but wanted to be close to the an airport because he was regularly flying back to Chicago. His job had nothing to do with Costa Rica and they chose to move there because he studied there in college and loved it.

Ok then, I didn't remember it being a permanent move, but if celiac disease was such an issue then they should have stayed in Chicago and visited Costa Rica whenever they could.  

In any event, I got tired of hearing about it., which was, basically, my point. 

[buttersister]

Caught a rerun tonight of a 2015 ep from Aruba where the 50-something Cohens (who met on a dating site) were moving so he could fulfill a life-long dream of opening a bar on the beach. Easy to pick on his ginormous collection of Tommy Bahamas shirts (or whatever they were, used to be called Hawaiian). Her hairdo was tres wacky in many shots---like prom from the late 60's. Her voice was about as grating as it gets. And yet, at the end, when he said how happy he was that his dream was coming true and she said how happy she was that he was sharing it with her? My cold dark heart melted just a little.

[proserpina65]

On ‎12‎/‎24‎/‎2016 at 3:35 PM, scrb said:

I walked about 10 minutes in London in January this year.

Cold and windy, not pleasant.

You could also take the bus though you might have to wait and also switch.

I've done it in winter as well.  It was similar to what I've had to do here.  Not fun, but not worth spending hundreds of extra dollars a year on.  But hey, it was his chosen storyline for that episode.

[Irlandesa]

I didn't see the full Provence episode so I can't really speak to the people in it, although they looked like a lovely couple, but I was so happy to see they did a "7 months later" and showed us the finished reno.  I get a little annoyed when they talk about a house on HHI that needs a total reno and then they only show us a month later in the midst of demolition.  I want to see the final product.   I liked this final product.

[Spunkygal]

Regarding the Provence couple, wow, they did a great job with that place and got it for a decent price. It was so cute and charming, from top to bottom. Kudos to them for having the vision of what it could be, especially ripping out that dark wood the exposing the stone. Tres magnifique!

[biakbiak]

I was barely paying attention but did the husband say he had been doing plumbing and electric for 20 years? Because he looked like he was late 20s early 30s!

[Mittengirl]

Biakbiak, that was what I kept thinking!  If he just means being a gopher while Dad or uncle does the actual work he will be in for a surprise.    I wonder how much he actually did or if he just supervised?

[mojito]

Provence couple:

Dayammmm.....that was a nice reno, and they stayed below their 160K budget. Nice one.

[chocolatine]

3 hours ago, mojito said:

Provence couple:

Dayammmm.....that was a nice reno, and they stayed below their 160K budget. Nice one.

Way below the budget! They said the got the place for $84k (asking price was $122k), and spent $28k on the reno, so $112k total. Either the show was overstating how expensive homes are in the area, or they got an amazing deal.

And yes, the reno was beautiful. And they have almost $50k left over, so they could invest that in another fixer upper to flip or keep as a vacation rental. HGTV should give that couple their own show, Provence Flip or something like that. ;)

4 hours ago, biakbiak said:

I was barely paying attention but did the husband say he had been doing plumbing and electric for 20 years? Because he looked like he was late 20s early 30s!

He said he'd been a heating and cooling *engineer* for 20 years, so he's either a very young-looking 40-something, or the Doogie Howser of heating and cooling engineering.

[Pickles]

I just watched the Provence episode. What a nice couple. She was darling. I think he looked like he could be early 40's. She was definitely younger. I googled around and he has a plumbing business in Provence. She is a photographer and has a blog Curious Provence. 

[AlleC17]

The Provence couple were very nice and damn, that reno was beautiful!  What a great job!  I do wonder how much he did himself, but it really doesn't matter as they came in well under budget and had a gorgeous place in 7 months.  Not bad!  I think this is one of my favorite HHI episodes.

[QuinnM]

Quote

The Provence couple were very nice and damn, that reno was beautiful!  What a great job!  I do wonder how much he did himself, but it really doesn't matter as they came in well under budget and had a gorgeous place in 7 months.  Not bad!  I think this is one of my favorite HHI episodes.

I'm guessing that he did a lot of it himself since it took so long and was so under budget.  If you look, the stripping of the walls and tuck pointing is long arduous work.  If he did that himself it would take a long time but cost nothing.  I really like the finished project.  Amazing the difference a coat of paint on the trim does.

[debraran]

A little long winded, but this young woman tells of how she got on the show, how they film, want you to already have a place etc.

Interesting, but a little long ; )

[Honey]

I care for my mom, who is 82, and I have decided that when she passes, I am going to rent this house out, and use the money to live in the USVI.  Then when I get my SS and retirement money, I should have enough money to explore the carribbean.  I haven't decided on an island yet, though I am leaning toward St Croix.  I was going to move to Florida, until I compared the prices to USVI. The housing is cheaper there, and I can get along with just a scooter.  It's just me and my doggy, so the move should be fairly easy.

Maybe you'll see me on a  future episode of HHI.  I would definitely apply to the show after I have selected a place.

[Honey]

13 hours ago, debraran said:

A little long winded, but this young woman tells of how she got on the show, how they film, want you to already have a place etc.

Interesting, but a little long ; )

That was really interesting.  She was nice, and well spoken, even though she kept saying "basically".  Thank you for posting this.  :)

[AnnaRose]

18 hours ago, debraran said:

A little long winded, but this young woman tells of how she got on the show, how they film, want you to already have a place etc.

Interesting, but a little long ; )

 

Thank you for posting that link.  Does anyone know where they were in England and how much the house rent was? That home was much larger than I expected, and very nice.  She did say the landlord combined three homes though, so that would explain the unusually large size for something built in the 1400s. (Plus they had the add-on.) 

I tried to make it through most of the house tour she gave, but OMG I got a horrible case of motion sickness from the camera movement.  Seriously... it made me so miserably ill for a couple hours.  (I've only had motion sickness once in my entire life from actual movement, but watching videos like this one really seem to trigger it.)

Do they not make the participants sign non-disclosure agreements anymore?  I thought the HHs weren't allowed to talk about how fake everything is.  Unless they have just given up on that now that most people probably already know about the fakery.

[debraran]

I don't know if a certain time passes, maybe it's okay? She said she was paid but would have done it for nothing..that I don't get. She had all her furniture taken out and put back, just for a few minutes on TV? I assumed the money was the motive. ; )

I will try and see if I can find her show, I'm sure it was earlier on. I was curious about price also.  So far, it seems to be season 37 episode 71

I know early on Tiny House Nation had people talking about how fake some of it was, the "pretending to have an issue" the fact Zack didn't do most of the house, that most of the home had to be done, etc.  I see less of that now, but I'm sure it's hard to control.

I'm glad though she really wasn't too interested in the dishwasher, they make American's look even worse than the stereotypes with the insistence of things not usually a concern in the country they are in.

Edited January 2, 2017 by debraran

[debraran]

I found this:

Let Slip The Dogs of Warwick

Kansas couple Ryan and Lindsey Ebright haven’t spent much time out of their home state. So when they move to Warwick, England they’re surprised to see what their 3,500 dollars a month budget can actually get them. Lindsey is concerned about the functionality and layout of their future home and would prefer a four bedroom place with two bathrooms. She thinks it’s important to have enough space since she’ll be staying at home, raising two kids, and entertaining visitors from out of town. Ryan, on the other hand, is squirming a bit when it comes to adding a fourth bedroom and a second bathroom to their ever growing budget. He’d rather spend the money on a place with old world charm that they wouldn’t be able to get back home in Kansas.

So their budget was much larger than most. They have FB page and youtube/instagram pages, very public people. cute family.

[Pickles]

Tonight's episode with the CA family buying a vacation home in Tuscany. The wife was a biatch. The husband was nice and good natured. They did not reveal the price they paid for the house! They wife just said that they agreed to a price that was acceptable. The wife had poor posture and used improper grammar--I want this for the "girls and I". She kept saying it! Can you tell I disliked her? Lol.