House Hunters International - General Discussion

[debraran]

Seems to be a dearth of this show and Tiny House Hunting, my "on demand" has had the same shows for weeks. Hope they get more soon.

[cyberfruit]

The new season starts tomorrow night with Amsterdam.

[mojito]

Tennessee woman in Amsterdam.

Imagine my surprise when she declared that one room was about the size of her closet back home. 

Since this is obviously a lark for her (didn't sound like she was renting out her home back in TNJ), I might've gone for the nice place in the red light district. Now that would be an experience.

[debraran]

"You sound like a spoiled American" : ) I was thinking the same thing, but it was nice the wrote that in this time.

She obviously had some money to toggle 2 rents and have some fun. I liked all 3 but red light wouldn't be my choice. lol

[Pine]

Did you know she's a real estate agent?

[TVForever]

Nashville to Amsterdam:

I got the sense that she was likely renting out her place in Nashville, although I don't think it was explicitly stated. Maybe I'm just assuming based on that being the most common sense move. I hope she's able to pull off the logistics with her RE business, because this could be a great lifestyle setup.

Ohio to Groningen:

Cute family, but The wife made my head hurt. Something about her "I'm an artist, I'm a dreamer, I'm an adventurous soul!" bubbliness grated my nerves after the first few minutes. I think it's because I'm watching this episode at 7 am as I'm drinking my first coffee of the day. That said, I loved their apt. I actually liked all three choices, though that houseboat with no railing just would not have worked with a toddler.

[debraran]

I didn't think it was that easy to just move but I guess when you are alone, (well 1 dog came too) it's a little easier. She must have done pretty well making a nest egg, some in real estate don't.  I wouldn't think real estate qualified for "highly skilled" in Visa requirement so a little more work and bringing a pet is 6 to 12 months of preparation on website.  A website with a checklist to go through said   "It can be very challenging to find a job in the Netherlands if you are a foreigner. The majority of jobs require good Dutch language skills and there are also restrictive regulations regarding the employment of non EU/EEA citizens. Finding a job is easier for those who are living in The Netherlands and looking for work in retail, restaurants/bars or teaching foreign languages."

Does seem like fun but people I know transferred with their jobs to different UK/European countries, say it's always stressful too but if you're young, not rigid and have patience, it can be a wonderful opportunity.

13 minutes ago, TVForever said:

Nashville to Amsterdam:

I got the sense that she was likely renting out her place in Nashville, although I don't think it was explicitly stated. Maybe I'm just assuming based on that being the most common sense move. I hope she's able to pull off the logistics with her RE business, because this could be a great lifestyle setup.

 

I think she did say she was carrying 2 rents and her partner was helping keep her business going while she was there. Not quite sure why she wanted to work there for a year, but I'm sure a lot of stuff was left out of the show. She wouldn't be the best person to see there, being new to the areas and rules for real estate herself.

Edited April 8, 2017 by debraran

[LazyToaster]

I thought I was going to dislike Wendy; but, she ended up being fine.  Did you catch that her last name is Monday - and, she named her dog Tuesday.  She can't be all bad if she did that! 

I'm glad she picked the place she did - the whole thing seemed like quite an adventure to me.  That neighborhood looked great and I liked how she was making friends if any of that was real. 

[debraran]

She did a charity event near my nephew in Maryland. I guess she is going back and forth or those show are filmed way ahead of time. The name I didn't catch beforehand but you're right, it's cute.  A cat named Wednesday?? ;)

[vesperholly]

I don't know when this US > Helsinki episode aired, but the sister insisting her brother get a place large enough for the family to stay is ludicrous. How often is the family going to make a trip all the way to Finland? And if they're loaded enough to do that, surely they can just get a damn hotel?

[biakbiak]

The kid in the Puerto Ballarat episode needed to be smacked. When he told his stepfather that 50k was chump change he shoukd have put him in a cab to the airport,

[suebee12]

Did anyone else notice that the wife's two daughter's faces were blurred out in all of the photos that were shown? The other four children were all shown...father's three daughters and mom's favorite...THE SON who didn't care what anything cost as long as it was located where he wanted! Guess they didn't want to be seen!

[Shibori]

Not sure who I hated more on this one- the vapid wife, enabling Dad, or the son who you just know once killed a homeless guy for fun but Dad pulled some strings and the charges were dropped.

[Lady Iris]

8 hours ago, biakbiak said:

The kid in the Puerto Ballarat episode needed to be smacked. When he told his stepfather that 50k was chump change he shoukd have put him in a cab to the airport,

I only caught this one scene for a few moments before I fell asleep but damn was that kid instantly riled me! Chump change. I bet that's all he had in his pockets.

Edited April 14, 2017 by Lady Iris

[AlleC17]

Wow, the Brady Bunch 2017 version worked my last nerve:  from the horrible voice on the wife and her awful, stupid son and  'budget driven'  hubby, who sent out dickwad vibes...no wonder those two girls had their faces blurred in the family photo!  Yuck.  I didn't get at all how they were going to run a B&B...they kept saying B&B but then they talked about renting the house out, and how the guest renting wouldn't mind a shared bathroom, so I got confused.  

[mojito]

I give the Puerta Vallarta kid a pass because I felt his comments were tongue in cheek. His not caring about the budget was one thing. His mother's was annoying. When she called her husband a "hater" because he was watching the budget.....Shook my head on that one.

Didn't get the B&B angle. They kind of threw the word out but didn't talk much about running a business.

Yet another useless pool. Junior did a surface dive and his hands touched the bottom of the pool. Is this just where people go to wash off their sweat and suntan lotion?

[biakbiak]

46 minutes ago, AlleC17 said:

idn't get at all how they were going to run a B&B...they kept saying B&B but then they talked about renting the house out, and how the guest renting wouldn't mind a shared bathroom, so I got confused

Pretty certain they just meant Air B and B but couldn't say it.

[Vivigirl10]

Quote

Did anyone else notice that the wife's two daughter's faces were blurred out in all of the photos that were shown? 

I'm so glad you noticed this because it unnecessarily bothered me.  Why...I needed to know why!  I also loved how they showed multiple times the pic of the Mom and the son from like 5 - 7 years ago and he had this a*hole frown on his face.  I'm sure Mom picked that particular picture because she thought she looked young and sexy.  Gack.

[mojito]

Quote

 I'm sure Mom picked that particular picture because she thought she looked young and sexy. 

You make a good point there. I noticed that two girls had their faces blurred. Can't blame them. People are known to make fools of themselves once the cameras roll.

[Suck It Trebek]

St. Louis to Puerto Vallarta - the husband didn't bother me so much, but the wife. The wife! From her entitled attitude to the voice to the admitted preference for her son over her daughters...dreadful. (Dare I say, loathsome?) But, mostly it was the the entitled attitude: "you're ridiculous," "all the things on my wish list are requirements." UGH

I'd bet the blurred out kids' dad didn't want them to be shown...because he knows how his ex wife is and knew the producers would amp up her crap personality.

[sugarbaker design]

On 4/15/2017 at 8:03 AM, Suck It Trebek said:

I'd bet the blurred out kids' dad didn't want them to be shown..

That's exactly it!  Thank god for one sensible parent.

[LizBug]

Massachusetts to Puerto Rico ... At first, I thought the wife was the daughter.  Her voice, her mannerisms, her childish behavior (swinging on the stair rail, whining about living at the beach, etc.) made me wonder if she didn't have some sort of disorder.

[Kohola3]

I propose a drinking game with downing a shot each time some whiny wife blurts the word "beach".  This forum would need to have their own AA meetings because none of us would be sober after the first 15 minutes.

[cyberfruit]

I cut it off the Puerto Vallarta episode off about five minutes in. The mom giggling about favoring the male child (ugh) and being unable to properly discipline him because he was just so cute and funny (ughhh). And then the older male child saying he wanted to be near nightlife and "debauchery" (ughhhhh). 

No thanks.

[debraran]

7 hours ago, cyberfruit said:

I cut it off the Puerto Vallarta episode off about five minutes in. The mom giggling about favoring the male child (ugh) and being unable to properly discipline him because he was just so cute and funny (ughhh). And then the older male child saying he wanted to be near nightlife and "debauchery" (ughhhhh). 

No thanks.

To each their own, but I found this almost unwatchable. I hate rich folks having to find the "perfect get-a-way" and nothing is ever right, just cant live with this backsplash....I realize in their lives, this is important, I just hope, I would never be this way.

[Babalooie]

NZ couple from Florida seemed like a nice couple.  A bit of an age gap, but seemed happy.  It must be nice to just fall into a real estate job.  Back here in Florida real estate agents are swarming everywhere.  What beautiful scenery!

[chocolatine]

16 hours ago, Babalooie said:

NZ couple from Florida seemed like a nice couple.  A bit of an age gap, but seemed happy.

The husband must be well into his sixties. I wonder how many times he gets mistaken for the child's grandpa.

Tonight's Paris episode: big ugh on the young single woman "needing" a second bedroom and an oven. She turned down two perfectly charming centrally located one-bedroom apartments in favor of a two-bedroom in the 19th arrondissement, which is a 45-minute commute to her language school. *facepalm*

IMO, the charm of Paris deteriorates rapidly as you get away from the center, so I'd rather live in a much smaller apartment in the center than be that far out.

[debraran]

All these singles/couples want room for people to visit, hey, unless you have a lot of money and they are your children coming (more than once a year) save the money. A pull out couch or air mattress will work fine for most quick visits. 

I really liked both but especially the second one with the murphy bed and french doors.  A desk would make it crowded..please stop!  It was adorable.  ; )

My daughter did a year in the Brittany area teaching, Paris was just too expensive but she visited often. She would have loved either of those apartments with one bedroom.   Not having a second bedroom in Paris is a "challenge for you" lol  She can't be too worldly or maybe she was brought up with a wealthy family and is used to a lot of room. If you have been traveling at all though, you should know how it is in European/UK areas with real estate and not be surprised at what is available.

If you aren't used to this show, you'd really be surprised she took the last one, but for all we know, she's left it already.

Edited April 21, 2017 by debraran

[Bastet]

12 hours ago, chocolatine said:

IMO, the charm of Paris deteriorates rapidly as you get away from the center, so I'd rather live in a much smaller apartment in the center than be that far out.

Same here, and I'm normally someone whose preference is for a suburb close to downtown -- close enough for a good commute, but far enough out to get a little more space.  But in Paris?  (Or anywhere I was going to be living short-term.)  I would live as centrally as I could afford.  I can't believe she chose something all the way out in the 19th. 

[Spunkygal]

I would definitely have chosen the second apartment located in the Marais. The location was great, the living area was a good size, had high ceilings and I loved the Murphy bed. Regarding the commute of the one she selected, they kept showing buses when they talked about the 30-45 minute commute. I don't know where her language school is located, but why not take the metro? I bet you dollars to donuts (or euros to croissants) that her school is near a metro line. Buses are always going to take longer.

Oops, forgot to add....if I ever move to Europe, I  guaran-damn-tee you that I will not break my neck to make sure there is an extra room for guests. I would get a sleeper sofa, but that's it. 

Edited April 21, 2017 by Spunkygal

[debraran]

38 minutes ago, Spunkygal said:

 

Oops, forgot to add....if I ever move to Europe, I  guaran-damn-tee you that I will not break my neck to make sure there is an extra room for guests. I would get a sleeper sofa, but that's it. 

And they'd appreciate the lesser commute I'm sure. ; )

[cyberfruit]

For the Paris episode, as soon as the house hunter said she was adamant about having an office, I knew we were going to be looking in the outer districts. The apartments in the center were just for show because at the end of the day, this is HHI and we watch this show for house porn and snark. Snarking on working class neighborhoods, like the 19th, isn't going to work.

Anyway, that property in Le Marais? I died. On sight. 

[pep4]

So that guy wants to buy a house in Italy for 1 Euro but decides there is just too much to renovate.  Such an unexpected development!  Then buys one for $15k, budgets $5k for renovations, ends up spending $90k, and a year later it still isn't done.  One of the shows bigger idiots.

Edited April 22, 2017 by pep4

[vesperholly]

On 4/21/2017 at 3:21 AM, chocolatine said:

Tonight's Paris episode: big ugh on the young single woman "needing" a second bedroom

Those people make me want to reach through the TV and slap them silly. How many people do you have visiting on a frequent enough basis to justify the extra cost and distance from city centers to have a second bedroom?! US>EU is a pricey, long flight even from the East Coast. If they are that wealthy, they can get a hotel near you. My friend lived in a studio in the 11th and when I visited, I shared the pull-out sofabed with her! She was near the Nation metro stop and it felt far out - I can't even imagine the 19th.

[biakbiak]

11 hours ago, vesperholly said:

Those people make me want to reach through the TV and slap them silly. How many people do you have visiting on a frequent enough basis to justify the extra cost and distance from city centers to have a second bedroom?! US>EU is a pricey, long flight even from the East Coast. If they are that wealthy, they can get a hotel near you. My friend lived in a studio in the 11th and when I visited, I shared the pull-out sofabed with her! She was near the Nation metro stop and it felt far out - I can't even imagine the 19th.

Well this woman worked internationally for a number of years so she probably has friends from different parts of the world.

I also expect that people who want that extra bedroom know their family and friends and know if they will actual travel. When you have a place to stay you can be much more flexible about dates your going to fly and are more likely to do it because it will be cheaper. My parents and friends who have lived abroad frequently had visitors, myself included so for many people they will be getting guests. 

The 19th isn't far from the 11th because they are set up in a circle. 

[snarts]

Last night's Canada to Costa Rica couple.  They bought a restaurant but choose to spend $3500/mo renting a house?  I also didn't quite understand why, as empty nesters, they needed 4 bedrooms.  It would seem to me that they could've had everything on their wish list (including an ocean view) had they purchased a home.  $3500/mo buys a lot of mortgage.

[laredhead]

Snarts, I haven't watched the episode yet, but it seems there is always more to the story when it comes to HH International.  Maybe it's a tax issue.  Maybe they don't plan to live there long term.   

[Pickles]

The Canada to Costa Rica couple. I only watched part of the episode.At one point, I heard the agent say something like---you are 10 minutes from the restaurant and the school is close too. Were they moving with some kid still in school? I thought they were all grown up.

[mojito]

The episode description on my DVR stated that the couple had purchased two restaurants. Didn't hear that on the show, though. 

@Pickles, it seems that they have one child still in school. The agent spoke of "her school" a couple of times, so it sounds as though she's already enrolled. 

Parents seem to think (or wish) that all their children will come to visit at once. 

[TVJunkee]

39 minutes ago, mojito said:

The agent spoke of "her school" a couple of times, so it sounds as though she's already enrolled. 

For some reason I was convinced that "her school" was where the woman worked.  I also thought all their kids were grown but wouldn't mind frequent Costa Rica vacations hence needing 4 bedrooms.  

[Mittengirl]

If I recall correctly, the Costa Rica couple did have a daughter who was still in high school.

 I believe they said they wanted to rent for a year because they weren't sure where on the island they wanted to live.  I was shocked that they had such a reasonable explanation for renting.  

Given the number of bedrooms, perhaps more kids were coming to help in the restaurants?  I think the husband said he grew up in the restaurant business, so maybe some of the kids want to continue the tradition.

[AuntiePam]

Dubai to Capetown -- the over-budget house was my favorite, but the one they chose was okay.  It was on budget and had some separate space for the adult son who'd be living there.  But I was disappointed that they'd lived there for ten months and hadn't repainted the walls in the living area.  The walls were a deep orange (on my TV) with red accent.  Mom mentioned a few times that she was glad to be away from the dry, hot desert, so I assumed she'd get rid of those hot colors in favor of something light and cool. 

[mojito]

@AuntiePam, I was impressed that the son didn't change the purple walls in his bedroom. How much you wanna bet that painting the home is on his "honey do" list? I agree, the wall color in the living area was horrible and made the place seem so gloomy, but the parents were still supposedly living in Dubai. It was such a different angle to have parents purchasing a home and, except for living room space, not fretting about having enough bedrooms for all their children because that wasn't a consideration. I loved the first home, too. I sort of resented the son, being concerned with his commute to work at first, but he's committing to being the home's caretaker for a few years, so he did deserve a say in this. Seemed that after living in Dubai for a while, and seemingly signing on for a few years more, the wife should get her dream home. The flip side is that when the do return to Cape Town, they will probably have more money, and can get a better place then. 

[laredhead]

The view of the ocean in Cape Town was beyond stunning.  There have been a couple of HHI episodes there in the past and every time I'm blown away by the scenery.

Watched the Virginia Beach to Stockholm episode with the opera singer husband.  No one has commented on this episode that I remember, but the husband said that it was not uncommon for the living room of an apartment to contain a bed and the occupants would designate the room as both a living room and bedroom.  Huh?  That is the apartment they rented and the giant bed was still in the living room during the reveal.  I am not convinced that I could never live in some of these places because I'm too spoiled with American sized rooms and closets, and that's OK.  I'll just satisfy my wanderlust by being an armchair traveler with HHI.

Edited April 30, 2017 by laredhead

[BlossomCulp]

19 hours ago, laredhead said:

No one has commented on this episode that I remember, but the husband said that it was not uncommon for the living room of an apartment to contain a bed and the occupants would designate the room as both a living room and bedroom. 

I remember one place we rented when we lived in the UK we ended up in a two bedroom row house for awhile and my son had to sleep on a mattress in the living room (we put it away during the day).  He and my daughter were at that obnoxious teenage age when the idea of sharing a room, even for a few months, was horrifying to them.  Anyway that was one thing about the UK that I found different, and I've been told it's true in the rest of Europe as well, how common it is to find 2 bedroom houses.  Not that they aren't around here too of course but IME at least 3 bedroom tends to be the default not the exception!

[StatisticalOutlier]

On 4/30/2017 at 2:01 PM, laredhead said:

Watched the Virginia Beach to Stockholm episode with the opera singer husband.  No one has commented on this episode that I remember, but the husband said that it was not uncommon for the living room of an apartment to contain a bed and the occupants would designate the room as both a living room and bedroom.  Huh?  That is the apartment they rented and the giant bed was still in the living room during the reveal.  I am not convinced that I could never live in some of these places because I'm too spoiled with American sized rooms and closets, and that's OK.  I'll just satisfy my wanderlust by being an armchair traveler with HHI.

My brother lived in a house that had bedrooms that were too small for their king-sized bed, so they had the bed in the front living room.  Classy!  It was in a shitty Texas town and they were there for a post-doc position, so he just said it was an "efficiency house" instead of an "efficiency apartment" and got the hell out of there when he could.

The rich part of town was on a hill above his house, which he thought was interesting because the rich people's view was of their efficiency house, and his view was of the nice houses on the hill.

[chocolatine]

15 hours ago, BlossomCulp said:

I remember one place we rented when we lived in the UK we ended up in a two bedroom row house for awhile and my son had to sleep on a mattress in the living room (we put it away during the day).  He and my daughter were at that obnoxious teenage age when the idea of sharing a room, even for a few months, was horrifying to them.  Anyway that was one thing about the UK that I found different, and I've been told it's true in the rest of Europe as well, how common it is to find 2 bedroom houses.  Not that they aren't around here too of course but IME at least 3 bedroom tends to be the default not the exception!

I can't speak for all row houses in the UK, but some were built in specifically for working class people in the 19th century, so they were tiny and un-luxurious on purpose. I lived in such a house when I was a grad student in Edinburgh, and that area of the neighborhood was dubbed "The Colony", because it had several streets of identical small row houses.

Tonight's Lisbon episode: I couldn't warm up to the wife. The way she kept talking about "design elements" and "pieces" sounded very pretentious, and then of course there was the "I don't care about the budget". I know they'd been living in Dubai around a lot of rich people, but still. I did like the place they ended up picking though.

[CherryAmes]

8 hours ago, chocolatine said:

I can't speak for all row houses in the UK, but some were built in specifically for working class people in the 19th century, so they were tiny and un-luxurious on purpose.

Definitely true IME as well.  We lived for awhile in a row house when we were in England and it was quite spacious with a lot of mod cons, including a third bedroom.  But there was an addition built on and thorough updating had all been done over time as the area was being gentrified.  What had been cottages for working class families in the 19th century became desirable residences by the early 21st century.  Originally though that "des res" would have been basically a two rooms up and two rooms down with an outhouse in the back.  So hard to believe people would have raised big families in such small places.

Edited May 2, 2017 by CherryAmes

[debraran]

We have got spoiled. Sure it's easier to have 3 bathrooms, I love a half downstairs (I have 1 1/2) or multiple bedrooms, but many in Europe and USA did without it. My grandparents had many children with one bathroom and you learned to share space. We had holiday's in spaces half the size of what you see on TV, maybe even less, but it was enjoyable. When you never had to share or have to work out bathroom time, it seem insurmountable but really isn't.

My daughter has spent 2 years in the UK and hasn't seen any large homes, but modest ones or small. No one seemed to think it was odd, only the rich own large properties, but I suppose that is why HHI makes the American jokes often. I just wish we weren't represented as clueless sometimes. : )

[BlossomCulp]

13 minutes ago, debraran said:

I just wish we weren't represented as clueless sometimes. : )

I sure hope a lot of the cluelessness is producer driven.  I get so tired of people wanting North American size appliances and big bedrooms with walk in closets all on a small budget.  I guess I just don't see why they bother to move over to Europe if they want to live exactly the same way they lived in the US/Canada.  Half the fun for us was adapting to a different way of life!

Edited May 2, 2017 by BlossomCulp