House Hunters International - General Discussion

[chessiegal]

8 hours ago, cyberfruit said:

No, they're not available to watch on demand. Xfinity doesn't load entire seasons and will remove episodes randomly. For example, episode 18 was in London and episode 20 was in Waterloo. I have no idea where episode 19 is located because it's not listed. Same with episodes 16 and 17.

Do you have a smartphone or tablet? You can download the free HGTV app and watch episodes there. They keep recent episodes in rotation for awhile.

[cyberfruit]

7 minutes ago, chessiegal said:

Do you have a smartphone or tablet? You can download the free HGTV app and watch episodes there. They keep recent episodes in rotation for awhile.

*whine* I hate watching videos on tiny screens~ (believe or not, I'm in my 20s). But thanks! I'll look into that and see if HGTV has other episodes online.

[chessiegal]

HGTV has tons of episodes on their app of all different shows, as do other Scripps networks - DIY, FN, CC. You have to go through some hoops to prove you are subscribed to cable, and you're stuck with the commercials (but that's true on demand also). I have Verizon Fios that has a mobile app (I think Xfinity does too), and I couldn't make it through an hour on the treadmill without watching tv on my tablet.

[Nysha]

1 hour ago, cyberfruit said:

*whine* I hate watching videos on tiny screens~ (believe or not, I'm in my 20s). But thanks! I'll look into that and see if HGTV has other episodes online.

Get a Chromecast & send it to your TV. 

[LazyToaster]

The London episode - I enjoyed that, but mostly because of the oh-so-admired Richard.  Did anyone else notice the quick scene with the cab driver?  They were climbing into one of those big cabs and as they drove away the little boy (he was pretty rambunctious) yelled out - I swear the cab driver's expression was pure "Oh Hell No".  I had to rewind and watch it again. 

Another thing - in the first house the mother expressed concern that her son would get burned on the towel warmers - I said out loud "only once".  Then the other places had them too I think and she didn't even seem to notice them. 

I did like the place they chose but really would have been tempted by the one over the pub. 

[magemaud]

About the London woman's towel warmer concern, do they get hot enough to burn you? Can't you adjust them or turn them off altogether? 

[Mittengirl]

Was I the only one who wanted to repeatedly punch the Costa Rican hunter tonight?  My god he was obnoxious!

[chocolatine]

2 hours ago, magemaud said:

About the London woman's towel warmer concern, do they get hot enough to burn you? Can't you adjust them or turn them off altogether? 

I can't speak for all the towel warmers everywhere, but the ones I've had were not very hot even on the highest setting. Nothing I'd be concerned about with a small child.

Edited January 31, 2017 by chocolatine

[magemaud]

11 hours ago, Mittengirl said:

Was I the only one who wanted to repeatedly punch the Costa Rican hunter tonight?  My god he was obnoxious!

After you punch him, I'LL strangle him! And I only got to see the last ten minutes but that was all it took for me to decide he was a royal a-hole. They said she had given up her law career for the move, but was he also an attorney? 

[biakbiak]

2 minutes ago, magemaud said:

After you punch him, I'LL strangle him! And I only got to see the last ten minutes but that was all it took for me to decide he was a royal a-hole. They said she had given up her law career for the move, but was he also an attorney? 

No he worked for a bank.

[Mittengirl]

Wouldn't a towel warmer that gets hot enough to burn a child, on contact, also set your towels aflame?

[chessiegal]

I've had towel warmers in several hotel rooms and never found them hot enough to burn you. I'd think they would at least damage towels if they were too hot.

[AuntiePam]

15 hours ago, Mittengirl said:

Was I the only one who wanted to repeatedly punch the Costa Rican hunter tonight?  My god he was obnoxious!

He was overly concerned with the outdoor space (for entertaining), and the view.  Why would you even consider a place with a pond when there's a baby/soon to be toddler? 

He didn't bug me too much -- I just told myself the producers were probably encouraging him. 

[magemaud]

I always think it's obnoxious when the house hunter is more interested in having the "wow" factor in the entrance to impress visitors than the comfort and safety of his family who live there every day. 

[scootypuffjr]

I was somewhat annoyed by the Costa Rican husband, but , like AuntiePam, I figured much of his shtick was put-on and encouraged by the producers. What did annoy me was when he threw himself on that bed in the 2nd (?) house - hey, buddy, that's not your bed, keep off of it! I hate it when people dip their feet in the pool or get in the bathtub with their shoes on, etc - just when they make themselves too much at home, before it is their home yet. Show some respect.

That second house really was spectacular, a real show-stopper. Obviously all wrong for their family, but wow! Wouldn't it be something else to live in a place like that!

[KLovestoShop]

I didn't like the wife of the Costa Rica hunters, as well as the husband.  Are all young mothers freaking out over completely baby proofing houses?  We grew up in houses that weren't baby proof and we all survived.  Wrap the kid in Nerf and she'll be fine.  But that second house wasn't a death trap.  Sheesh.  I'm betting that deep down, she didn't want to move to Costa Rica.  

Edited February 1, 2017 by KLovestoShop

[biakbiak]

24 minutes ago, KLovestoShop said:

I didn't like the wife of the Costa Rica hunters, as well as the husband.  Are all young mothers freaking out over completely baby proofing houses?  We grew up in houses that weren't baby proof and we all survived.  Wrap the kid in Nerf and she'll be fine.  But that second house wasn't a death trap.  Sheesh.  I'm betting that deep down, she didn't want to move to Costa Rica.  

The house she objected to was tons of stairs (in different locations the house was multi-small levels, random wrought iron balconies with fairly large gaps, and a backyard that had a koi pond that could be crawled into. I have no children and was basically raised in construction sites and even I could see her point. Also, baby proofing that house would cost a lot and destroy what made it cool.

[scootypuffjr]

Norwich couple. I missed the first moments of the episode, but why was it so important for the husband to be within a mile of the highway? He indicated that three miles away was a bridge too far for him, which I didn't understand at all. 

Plus, the realtor told the husband that house #1 was a mile from his precious highway and a 15 minute walk to the city center for the wife. She thought that was too far, she wanted to be within a mile of the city. She's obviously never walked a mile with any regularity, because it generally takes the average person about 20 minutes. (I walk a LOT, so I can speak from experience.) Regardless, it does drive me crazy when young, able-bodied people seem to think that walking for 15 minutes, or even a half hour, is asking too much. (And yes, I've carried groceries home from a similar distance, it can be done.)

All that said, I thought all three of their options were pretty nice.  I thought they chose the best one and I'm glad they are happy with their decision. :-)

[laredhead]

Scootypuffjr, when the wife moaned about how arduous it would be to haul bags of groceries on that "long" 15 minute walk, I was yelling at the TV for her to buy a 2-wheeled collapsing cart to pull the groceries home or maybe buy a bicycle with baskets.  What a concept.

The husband was very tall and when I saw that huge sofa, I knew that was their apartment because I'm sure they purchased that or had it shipped over just for him.  

[morgan]

I actually didn't mind the wife being concerned about the walk at first.  Unless you live in a big city, I would say most Americans are used to jumping in their car to run most errands even if they are only a mile away.  Throw in the prospect of lots of English rain and I could see it giving most Americans pause.  At the end she commented that it wasn't bad at all.  I think it was just different and not having a job/kids/something to do she was worried about being removed.  I thought they seemed like a nice couple and hope she found something to do while there.  I envy their opportunity!  Looks like an adorable place to live.  

[chessiegal]

When the Norwich wife was complaining about being alone I thought, good grief. I'm sure there are groups in England/Norwich you can join. Churches must have outside activities, and there must be book clubs, other social clubs. I blame all lame excuses on the producers as it seems they are incapable (or have to follow the formula/script) that, by gum - there must be conflict! Why else would anyone watch? Umm - hey producers, we like seeing the homes and countryside. I loved their apartment - balcony overlooking a river. Works for me.

[biakbiak]

3 hours ago, chessiegal said:

When the Norwich wife was complaining about being alone I thought, good grief. I'm sure there are groups in England/Norwich you can join. Churches must have outside activities, and there must be book clubs, other social clubs. I blame all lame excuses on the producers as it seems they are incapable (or have to follow the formula/script) that, by gum - there must be conflict! Why else would anyone watch? Umm - hey producers, we like seeing the homes and countryside. I loved their apartment - balcony overlooking a river. Works for me.

I don't know I have had friends move to different cities in the states and still feel isolated and find it difficult to make friends.

[aguabella]

On ‎1‎/‎29‎/‎2017 at 5:34 PM, chessiegal said:

I'm inclined to believe it's the producers who concoct the backstory, not the house hunters.

For sure, chessiegal!  Under the terms of their "talent" contract, the househunters relinquish full control.

[MsProudSooner]

They said the population of the Norwich area was 1,000,000.  Surely they have public transportation the wife could use.

I had the laugh when the husband cringed at the thought of a 3 mile drive to the highway.  For most of my working life, my commute was 30 miles or 40 minutes.  

[KLovestoShop]

I wanted to ask the Norwich couple if their commute time, and the time it took to get to the city center was as close as they were wanting in the UK.  I would bet not.  

[debraran]

9 hours ago, biakbiak said:

I don't know I have had friends move to different cities in the states and still feel isolated and find it difficult to make friends.

I agree, it can be very hard in some places, especially if more are families and not singles. Even then, you might have an acquaintance but not someone you can call if you need something. One thing a friend told me moving around a lot early in her life with her husband, she met people, but no one she felt she forged a close bond with and some areas were lonely. I found it less believable someone wouldn't  want to drive go 3 miles to work, that seemed odd. Most people don't live that close to work!

Walking 15 minutes is not a big deal, but 15 minutes in the rain or snow or windy cold weather...well, then it does seem longer. ; )

[scootypuffjr]

3 hours ago, debraran said:

Walking 15 minutes is not a big deal, but 15 minutes in the rain or snow or windy cold weather...well, then it does seem longer. ; )

I can't argue with that, though you do what you gotta do. Slippery or cold and wet and windy conditions will generally keep me at home too, though I don't mind the rain or the snow. I wasn't really complaining about the Norwich wife in particular; I probably should have posted in the Pet Peeves thread instead. I just lose patience with people who want to live close to the beach, for example, but think a ten minute walk to get there is unreasonably far, or a mile is not considered within walking distance. (For the record, I'm 53 years old, so if I can do it, they should be able to as well. Get off my lawn!)

[laredhead]

MSProudSooner, the population of Norwich is around 200,000, but they probably do have some form of public transportation.  When they were standing on the balcony of their apartment, the realtor pointed out that the downtown area was within view just down the river and you could see the buildings.  Walking is good exercise, especially when one is hauling groceries.   

[chocolatine]

I'm sure it was producer-driven, but I hated the Costa Rica husband's "money, shmoney" attitude. Money is a finite resource. Has he never had to live on a budget before?

Speaking of budget, mine was very small when I was a grad student in Edinburgh, so I walked 40 minutes to and from campus every day (one way was uphill), rain or shine, groceries or not, instead of paying for the bus. It wasn't that hard, so Norwich wife can certainly do 15 minutes.

[Kohola3]

I always imagine that people that complain about walking for 15 minutes (or circle the parking lot 50 times for a closer parking spot) all pay a hefty fee for a membership at a gym.

[vesperholly]

I liked the wife better than the husband in Norwich. No vocal fry!!

Why don't the wives just drive the husband to work sometimes, then they can have the car all day? That would solve all the "stuck at home" problems.

[awaken]

On 1/31/2017 at 1:11 AM, Mittengirl said:

Was I the only one who wanted to repeatedly punch the Costa Rican hunter tonight?  My god he was obnoxious!

Yes, they really played up the "impulsive" aspect with the jumping on the bed, in the pool, and "money, shmoney". 

On 1/31/2017 at 11:44 PM, KLovestoShop said:

I didn't like the wife of the Costa Rica hunters, as well as the husband.  Are all young mothers freaking out over completely baby proofing houses?  We grew up in houses that weren't baby proof and we all survived.  Wrap the kid in Nerf and she'll be fine.  But that second house wasn't a death trap.  Sheesh.  I'm betting that deep down, she didn't want to move to Costa Rica.  

Something weird going on with her lips, and flaring nostrils. He was weak-chinned. 

[chocolatine]

Wow, Sweden is expensive! $260k for an opening bid on a studio. I liked that it had a semi-separate sleeping area and a decent sized closet, but still, $260k for a studio.

[debraran]

8 hours ago, vesperholly said:

I liked the wife better than the husband in Norwich. No vocal fry!!

Why don't the wives just drive the husband to work sometimes, then they can have the car all day? That would solve all the "stuck at home" problems.

I agree, we've done that in my family when we were down to one car,  but if I was in UK from USA, I don't think I'd be comfortable driving right away. It's not just the different side of street, I've read that they have different rules for turning (left vs right on red)difficult roundabouts and many cars are standard which I couldn't drive. On a travel forum, someone stated the luxury cars were automatic but much pricier.  I've never lived there (just my daughter is now) but some reasons she might not be comfortable driving which I could understand. She said, "I wont have a car" but that might have been just easier for TV than saying, "I'm not driving here".

Edited February 3, 2017 by debraran

[TVForever]

3 hours ago, chocolatine said:

Wow, Sweden is expensive! $260k for an opening bid on a studio. I liked that it had a semi-separate sleeping area and a decent sized closet, but still, $260k for a studio.

I thought that studio was great. As studios go, L-shaped studios work well because you still get a sense of separation . If you really feel like you need " a bedroom", put up a curtain (low cost). Or if you have a little more money to spend, you can put up a wall.

[Johnny Dollar]

We just watched Norwich and Costa Rica back to back on dvr. Are all husbands on this show selfish assholes or just these two?

[Babalooie]

1 hour ago, Johnny Dollar said:

Are all husbands on this show selfish assholes or just these two?

I've often  imagined the producers asking the couples, "Which one of you wants to play the role of the pain in the butt?"  Once in a while you will get  a couple who are both pleasant, but not often.  I would love to live in Norwich because the cost of living is more reasonable.  Regarding Sweden, yes, Scandinavia is very expensive, as is London.

[LazyToaster]

The Costa Rica husband was just a jerk.  Plus, he was a jerk who thought he was just SO funny.  Ick. 

[mojito]

I thought $260K sounded good for a studio in an expensive city/country. 

[chocolatine]

4 hours ago, mojito said:

I thought $260K sounded good for a studio in an expensive city/country. 

I would understand that kind of price in Stockholm, but Uppsala is a relatively small city, so I would have expected prices to be much lower there.

Tonight's Helsinki episode: when the husband said "in Minnesota we weren't surrounded by the ocean", I yelled at the TV "you're not surrounded by the ocean in Helsinki either". But then his young child corrected him and I was happy that at least the guy's ignorance isn't being passed down to the next generation.

[cyberfruit]

For the Uppsala episode, I also thought the studio was a pretty good price at $260,000. But, I expect Sweden to be pretty pricey. There's only so much land there before you move further north and lose sunlight (or gain a ton, depends on the season). As for the studio itself, I could never share a studio with another person. I'd go insane! It wouldn't even be a consideration. If any of y'all are sharing that little space with your s/os, then y'all are better than me. 

[JasmineFlower]

For the Uppsala episode, I was really not feeling the Swedish wife at all. Think about if that had been a man, moving them back to where he's from to work at his brother's company, and dismissing concerns that his wife says and then saying openly when asked about the wife's concern basically, "Oh, I run the money so she'll have to get over herself." Didn't sit well. I'm not viewing this wife as abusive or anything, they seemed happy overall despite the overall tone of the house hunt and I hope that's the case. The American wife saying "we agreed on X" several times further confirmed that I really wasn't okay with the Swedish wife's attitude. I'd be put out if that was a man, so I'm going to be so in this case as well. Just really didn't sit well.

[AlleC17]

On 2/3/2017 at 0:16 AM, debraran said:

I agree, we've done that in my family when we were down to one car,  but if I was in UK from USA, I don't think I'd be comfortable driving right away. It's not just the different side of street, I've read that they have different rules for turning (left vs right on red)difficult roundabouts and many cars are standard which I couldn't drive. On a travel forum, someone stated the luxury cars were automatic but much pricier.  I've never lived there (just my daughter is now) but some reasons she might not be comfortable driving which I could understand. She said, "I wont have a car" but that might have been just easier for TV than saying, "I'm not driving here".

lol  It's really not that hard.  My first shot at it:  I flew from Honolulu to Shannon Airport in Ireland, with a 7 hour layover in Boston.  I had volunteered to drive during the trip (with my parents and a younger, adult brother) but I did request our first hotel be a relatively close drive:  we were coming in for a landing in Ireland when my dad tells me its an hour and a half away.  lol  I had a mini panic, but it was really easy...just make sure you don't have a manual transmission.  Of course, everyone is different, but I would expect driving him to work and keeping the car at least on grocery shopping day would be a good compromise.

I don't get people like Norwich hubby, who thought a 3 mile drive tot he highway was a deal breaker though.  Not sure how far on the highway he needed to drive to get to work, but how much longer would the 2 additional miles to get to said highway take?  I *loved* the place on the river they got.

[Ohwell]

It might not have been hard for you, but no way in hell would I try driving in the UK after driving in the US all these years. 

[chocolatine]

Driving in the UK at first is tricky when you're used to the other system, but if you're moving there long-term, you get used to it. You can take a few driving lessons if you're feeling unsure about the rules for turns, roundabouts, etc. 

[suebee12]

Ok, I have to know! What the heck is the guy from San Diego going to do with his surfboards in Basel? Even his wife wondered! I understand why they chose the place they picked but I surely loved the country house. It was gorgeous...ok, ok, it wasn't practical especially since they would have to buy a car but the scenery was wonderful. I would love to visit Switzerland but I do know it one of the most expensive places to live so I have to live vicariously through HHI!

[AuntiePam]

The Basel couple -- when she was talking about doing those stairs with a stroller, a (large) baby, and groceries, I was reminded of that fable about a rabbit, a fox, and a cabbage and the rabbit wants to cross a river and he wants to take the cabbage.  At least I think that's how it went.  Rabbit ended up getting eaten, if I remember right.

It was nice of the neighbor (or the manager) to let her leave the stroller on the landing.  But does she take the baby up first, or the groceries? 

[chocolatine]

2 hours ago, suebee12 said:

Ok, I have to know! What the heck is the guy from San Diego going to do with his surfboards in Basel?

I know, right? Unless he's planning to take a road trip to the Mediterranean, he won't have much use for it in Switzerland. Must have paid a lot of money to have it shipped there, too.

I know it wasn't practical, but I would have picked the country house. The Swiss country air is just so, so wonderful. I've never experienced anything like it anywhere else. It's not my favorite country in terms of sights and food, but I want to go back just for the air.

[Rosebud1970]

6 hours ago, suebee12 said:

Ok, I have to know! What the heck is the guy from San Diego going to do with his surfboards in Basel? Even his wife wondered! I understand why they chose the place they picked but I surely loved the country house. It was gorgeous...ok, ok, it wasn't practical especially since they would have to buy a car but the scenery was wonderful. I would love to visit Switzerland but I do know it one of the most expensive places to live so I have to live vicariously through HHI!

I was yelling at my TV. Was he planning to surf the Rhine? Switzerland is completely landlocked.

He whined nonstop about the move and they were moving because of HIS job. 

You can't bathe a baby in the shower, lugging a baby and groceries up those steep stairs. You know he won't be doing any of that. He's a whiny little bitch.

[swissair100]

Quote

Was he planning to surf the Rhine? Switzerland is completely landlocked.

Yes, "river surfing".  Surprisingly, there are a few rivers within countries like Switzerland, Germany, Slovakia, etc that offer this.  It is more extreme & not sure if his board is suited for this type of surfing. 

Quote

You can't bathe a baby in the shower..

It's not ideal (for many), but I have a few couple friends in Europe who buy a large portable tub that can fit in their showers as a substitute for not having a bathtub. They adapt & manage somehow.