House Hunters International - General Discussion

[laredhead]

I saw the recent episode about the military couple moving from Finland to Germany, and wow was the husband negative about moving to Germany.  If this was fake drama for TV, it was unnecessary, but if it was real, I wouldn't want to be around those people very much because of their behavior toward each other, especially the husband.  The husband made it very clear that he would rather have gone to SE Asia, while the wife convinced him to live in Germany.  Perhaps the best thing they should have done was have her move to Germany and him to SE Asia.  I found it a very uncomfortable episode to watch and would have turned it off, but I wanted to see which house they chose.  Should have known they would take the one the wife wanted.        

[doodlebug]

2 hours ago, laredhead said:

I saw the recent episode about the military couple moving from Finland to Germany, and wow was the husband negative about moving to Germany.  If this was fake drama for TV, it was unnecessary, but if it was real, I wouldn't want to be around those people very much because of their behavior toward each other, especially the husband.  The husband made it very clear that he would rather have gone to SE Asia, while the wife convinced him to live in Germany.  Perhaps the best thing they should have done was have her move to Germany and him to SE Asia.  I found it a very uncomfortable episode to watch and would have turned it off, but I wanted to see which house they chose.  Should have known they would take the one the wife wanted.        

It was fairly awful; lots of passive aggressive snarking from him because, God forbid, after many years of living all over the world, she wants to be close to family for a while and live in a place she already knows.  He was really insufferable.  The only good thing was that she got the house she liked best.

Last night, with the Philly to South Africa couple, it was the wife's turn to whine and complain and behave like an a**.  Lots of moaning about how she 'gave up everything' (well, except her husband and kid and lifestyle) to come to South Africa and it was just no fair that she couldn't have 3 bedrooms and a pool for her amazing sacrifices.  It was particularly galling when she was pissed at the unfairness of life when the neighbors had a pool but the house they were looking at didn't.  She might've been an amazing business person back in the US, but she was an Ugly American in that eppy.  No surprise, they took the house she wanted that was a much longer commute for him.

ETA: If she was such an amazing tech savant back in the US, it begs the question as to why she left that job after less than a year, based on the articles in the magazines welcoming her back to Philly written in mid 2016. Her child was less than a year old when this eppy was filmed, indicating that she was 'on the job' in Philly for a brief period at best.  Methinks perhaps things didn't work out all that well for her back in her hometown and the move to South Africa wasn't all that big a sacrifice.  In the interviews, she stressed how tired she and her hubby were of all the moving around for jobs and how eager they were to return to their hometown friends and family.  Looks to me like it was just a pitstop while they started a family.  Not a bad choice, but not indicative of a major commitment to her work in Philly, either.

Edited November 14, 2017 by doodlebug

[Chefmom]

Thanks for the above articles regarding the Philly to Johannesburg couple. I was very curious as to what their careers were as I live not far from Philly.  I was surprised to hear her say she wanted a pool - usually couples with babies that I see on HH don't want it due to safety reasons but they didn't end up with one after all. 

[mojito]

Philly to Joburg

The wife is the kind of person I'd keep my distance from and observe from afar before approaching. She had an edge and I'm not sure she's a pleasant person. 

I kind of winced when she labeled the furniture in the first place as "cheap". That's the kind of thing I wouldn't have said to the real estate agents, and saved for a private discussion with my husband. Maybe to agents, it was decent furniture. Why risk offending?

I didn't much care for any of their choices. 

[JasmineFlower]

Don't think the Philly to SA woman is struggling career wise at all, like I said, Philadelphia Magazine does not profile random people. The shooting schedule and subsequent airing and HHI episode is always suspect and and not an indication of an accurate timeline ever. She's now in a new position as a Director of Sales Operations with a tech company out of Philly. It's more likely her year away was the one she spent in SA and she's either back or working remotely. Not saying at all that anyone has to like this woman, but I doubt she's struggling career wise and thought some more information about what she was giving up was relevant since we can't always find that information about the house hunters.

[juliet73]

8 hours ago, doodlebug said:

 

Last night, with the Philly to South Africa couple, it was the wife's turn to whine and complain and behave like an a**.  Lots of moaning about how she 'gave up everything' (well, except her husband and kid and lifestyle) to come to South Africa and it was just no fair that she couldn't have 3 bedrooms and a pool for her amazing sacrifices.  It was particularly galling when she was pissed at the unfairness of life when the neighbors had a pool but the house they were looking at didn't.  She might've been an amazing business person back in the US, but she was an Ugly American in that eppy.  No surprise, they took the house she wanted that was a much longer commute for him.

 

 

48 minutes ago, mojito said:

Philly to Joburg

The wife is the kind of person I'd keep my distance from and observe from afar before approaching. She had an edge and I'm not sure she's a pleasant person. 

I kind of winced when she labeled the furniture in the first place as "cheap". That's the kind of thing I wouldn't have said to the real estate agents, and saved for a private discussion with my husband. Maybe to agents, it was decent furniture. Why risk offending?

 

She was just rude. Rude to her husband, rude to the agents, etc.  Everything was all about HER and Sebastian. What was with her obsession in having a pool? The realtor(s) mentioned a nearby public pool, but of course that wasn't good enough for her Royal Highness.  I thought it was strange that she and the husband mentioned the dangers of the stairs and tiled floors, but were both totally fine with having an exposed flame fireplace and a pool in the backyard.    

[ML89]

On 11/10/2017 at 9:02 PM, vesperholly said:

Which episode was that? Most of the world's figure skating blades, from beginner to elite, are made in Sheffield.

It's Boston to Sheffield - not sure of the title, though. I lost the article I looked up but the guy was tapped to head John Wilson Blades. 

[mojito]

Memphis to Garfagnana, Italy

Aww, what a nice couple. Loved the first home. It was $30K too much and only one bathroom (me, I'd take some space from one of the three bedrooms and create another bath. But I'm good spending other people's money). The place they picked looked great  And what great scenery! I couldn't tell if they were moving permanently. It seemed like they were still working, but both were definitely of retirement age. 

[Lemons]

On 11/14/2017 at 2:08 AM, JasmineFlower said:

Philly to South Africa episode. Sometimes the spouse being forced to move says "they gave up everything" to move to the place and at times, it seems at times they are blowing things a bit out of proportion. In case anyone is wondering in this case, thought I'd share a little info on the wife. Didn't catch what he did for a living, but when she's saying she gave up her career, it was quite a budding career. Hope that SA job offer is an opportunity of a lifetime. FYI, Philadelphia Magazine (phillymag.com) does not do profiles on just anyone.

Philly Mag article

Technically Philly article

Based on their low budget it doesn't look like she sold any successful start ups she created. I couldnt watch after the first apartment when she stated that everything looked cheap. Then triple your budget, big shot!  My biggest pet peeve is people with the smallest budgets thinking they are entitled to get top of the line everything. These people who think they are in third worlds and their American dollars should be getting them palaces. No, you're in a cosmopolitan city and you get what you pay for. 

[aguabella]

On ‎11‎/‎10‎/‎2017 at 6:02 PM, vesperholly said:

Which episode was that? Most of the world's figure skating blades, from beginner to elite, are made in Sheffield.

 

12 hours ago, ML89 said:

It's Boston to Sheffield - not sure of the title, though. I lost the article I looked up but the guy was tapped to head John Wilson Blades. 

http://www.hgtv.com/shows/house-hunters-international/episodes/chasing-the-dream-in-england#episode-tunein

 

It's either Season 104 or 105, depending on the cable system or website.  (HGTV doesn't assign season and episode numbers consistently.)  Usually easier to locate episode info using the episode titles and description.

 

Yes, IIRC, the blade manufacturing /  Sheffield was discussed upthread when the episode aired in early May.

[aguabella]

On ‎11‎/‎13‎/‎2017 at 11:08 PM, JasmineFlower said:

Philly to South Africa episode. Sometimes the spouse being forced to move says "they gave up everything" to move to the place and at times, it seems at times they are blowing things a bit out of proportion. In case anyone is wondering in this case, thought I'd share a little info on the wife. Didn't catch what he did for a living, but when she's saying she gave up her career, it was quite a budding career. Hope that SA job offer is an opportunity of a lifetime. FYI, Philadelphia Magazine (phillymag.com) does not do profiles on just anyone.

Philly Mag article

Technically Philly article

 

On ‎11‎/‎14‎/‎2017 at 6:04 PM, JasmineFlower said:

Don't think the Philly to SA woman is struggling career wise at all, like I said, Philadelphia Magazine does not profile random people. The shooting schedule and subsequent airing and HHI episode is always suspect and and not an indication of an accurate timeline ever. She's now in a new position as a Director of Sales Operations with a tech company out of Philly. It's more likely her year away was the one she spent in SA and she's either back or working remotely. Not saying at all that anyone has to like this woman, but I doubt she's struggling career wise and thought some more information about what she was giving up was relevant since we can't always find that information about the house hunters.

 

Thanks for pulling the info, JasmineFlower.  If I read the article correctly, it appears her previous gig ended after a scheduled time period.  My guess:  her husband had a short-term class or exchange in SA and she took an extended maternity leave between the Philly positions, spending time with her new baby.  Conclusion:  she gave up nothing!  (How many new parents would love that break?)

Based on standard HHI filming and post-production lead times, they were on their way out of SA, filming their home search retroactively.  (I've noticed over the years that HHI films many episodes retroactively.)  It's possible but unlikely she was working remotely for a new employer.  At some point, they need to see you in the flesh!

[aguabella]

On ‎11‎/‎14‎/‎2017 at 5:19 PM, mojito said:

Philly to Joburg

The wife is the kind of person I'd keep my distance from and observe from afar before approaching. She had an edge and I'm not sure she's a pleasant person. 

I kind of winced when she labeled the furniture in the first place as "cheap". That's the kind of thing I wouldn't have said to the real estate agents, and saved for a private discussion with my husband. Maybe to agents, it was decent furniture. Why risk offending?

I didn't much care for any of their choices. 

 

On ‎11‎/‎14‎/‎2017 at 6:15 PM, juliet73 said:

 

She was just rude. Rude to her husband, rude to the agents, etc.  Everything was all about HER and Sebastian. What was with her obsession in having a pool? The realtor(s) mentioned a nearby public pool, but of course that wasn't good enough for her Royal Highness.  I thought it was strange that she and the husband mentioned the dangers of the stairs and tiled floors, but were both totally fine with having an exposed flame fireplace and a pool in the backyard.    

Yes, SA wife had an edge about her - no acting there!

About her rude critiques of the furniture ... searching for a furnished apt, in real life (IRL), the realtor would request feedback for the seller.  Also IRL, we know that buyers rarely provide true and accurate feedback b/c they're typically too polite!  ETA, diligent sellers crave true feedback.  They'd love to correct their staging errors, if possible.

In faux HHI dreamland, however, they need to fill 22 minutes of airtime!  That's tough!  Anyone done public speaking?  (I have.)  It's hard to even do 2 minutes sometimes, let alone 22!  And, they need to create drama, building up to the finale and the choice!

Edited November 16, 2017 by aguabella

[Lemons]

2 minutes ago, aguabella said:

 

Yes, SA wife had an edge about her - no acting there!

About her rude critiques of the furniture ... searching for a furnished apt, in real life (IRL), the realtor would request feedback for the seller.  Also IRL, we know that buyers rarely provide true and accurate feedback b/c they're typically too polite!

In faux HHI dreamland, however, they need to fill 22 minutes of airtime!  That's tough!  Anyone done public speaking?  (I have.)  It's tough to even do 2 minutes sometimes, let alone 22!  And, they need to create drama, building up to the finale and the choice!

Or at least they think they need to create drama. I think the fakeness of husband and wife always wanting the opposite of each other is the most annoying part of the show. It's such a formula that I can fast forward through the repetitiveness of reviewing their options and stop at the point where they say which one they chose. 

They could fill more time with reviewing the neighborhoods and showing more scenery. Also showing every room, at least briefly would be nice. I hate when they don't show the bathroom. 

[aguabella]

17 minutes ago, Lemons said:

Or at least they think they need to create drama. I think the fakeness of husband and wife always wanting the opposite of each other is the most annoying part of the show. It's such a formula that I can fast forward through the repetitiveness of reviewing their options and stop at the point where they say which one they chose. 

They could fill more time with reviewing the neighborhoods and showing more scenery. Also showing every room, at least briefly would be nice. I hate when they don't show the bathroom. 

Definitely Lemons.  (I probably posted about the faux drama, upthread.)  And, amazingly, their opposite demands always correspond to 1-2 of the realtor's decoy homes!

If 1-2 decoys include a pool, someone absolutely, positively needs a pool!

Agree, that's a pet peeve of mine:  showing each home partially.  Seems like they've ramped up the number of decoys shown partially over the last few years.  Don't know what they're inserting instead but wouldn't be surprised if it's commercials or promo.  A shot of the car's hood ornament, lol???

I'd rather see more of the city and local attractions or vibe.  They probably filmed the entire home(s) but edited them for time. 

[laredhead]

Aguabella, with regard to feedback from buyers, one of my good friends is a long time realtor.  She will call me occasionally to go look at one of her listings to give her feedback on the house from a buyer's point of view.  She has said that even though she knows what will sell and what needs work, sometimes her realtor's mind gets in the way of an objective view of the house and it's nice to have the opinion of someone who might be looking from the viewpoint of a buyer.

I haven't seen the South Africa episode yet, so I'll add it to my must watch list for tonight.    

[abbyzenn]

Garfagnana Italy --- I think the couple were moving to Italy full time but not really sure.  That first house was a terrible choice for retirement since the only bathroom was up upstairs.  As you age  you at least need a half bath on the same floor with your living room and kitchen.

I laughed at the second house when the woman who had earlier said they had to move to Italy to "slow down" started talking about they could have a shop and sell wine and cheese.  The place had a small vineyard but I didn't see any cows or cheese making apparatus.  Plus since they kept talking about it wasn't a touristy area who would come out there to buy their wine and cheese?

[aguabella]

Oops, sorry guys.  Deleted.

Edited November 17, 2017 by aguabella

[aguabella]

11 hours ago, laredhead said:

Aguabella, with regard to feedback from buyers, one of my good friends is a long time realtor.  She will call me occasionally to go look at one of her listings to give her feedback on the house from a buyer's point of view.  She has said that even though she knows what will sell and what needs work, sometimes her realtor's mind gets in the way of an objective view of the house and it's nice to have the opinion of someone who might be looking from the viewpoint of a buyer.

I haven't seen the South Africa episode yet, so I'll add it to my must watch list for tonight.    

Yep, that's what I was talking about, lol!

Ever wondered why your friend / realtor doesn't ask the buyers who've toured the listing?  Answer:  she probably does.

Good realtors collect all the business cards from their listings within a day or two to follow-up with the buyers' agents.  (In many markets, they can also download agent names via the keyless entry system.)  But, as mentioned above, they rarely get either honest or comprehensive feedback.  Typically, it's routine ("It was nice, uh, yeah.") feedback and/or, the buyers pick on one attribute.  For example, "It was nice but we don't want a pool!"  Or, "The yard's too small."

They say just enough to end the tour and lose a pushy buyers' agent, lol!

Turning to HH, however, the buyers must chat and criticize those listings.  Otherwise, dead airtime!  Out of 22 minutes, less the intro and outro, let's say it's 5 minutes per property.  That's a ton, for me.  Think about your average, real life tour ... it's short and yes, most buyers hold their criticism for their partner's ears only, i.e. later.

I'm certain your friend truly appreciates your honest, astute feedback, laredhead!

Edited November 17, 2017 by aguabella

[aguabella]

On ‎10‎/‎22‎/‎2017 at 0:08 PM, Lawgiver said:

The most recent London episode had a hilarious chyron typo: "Muse" house instead of "Mews" house. Haven't they been doing this long enough to get it right?

 

Not this week's unpaid intern!

Review someone's work before an error airs (tongue-twister) ?  Sounds like a foreign concept.

Oh, wait, this is HHI!

lol ...

[SmithW6079]

RE: The military family moving to Germany. Honestly, I didn't think the husband and wife were any more nasty to each other than any other couple they've featured on this show. That seems to be the HHI shtick -- that couples are moving halfway across the world and they appear to hate each other. I remember one couple moving to Central America, I think, and the wife made it sound in the pre-search interview that she dreaded/detested spending time with her husband. Germany husband gets a minor pass from me because he was a muscular fireplug of a guy, and I'm partial to those.

[pep4]

"Aarhus, in the middle of our street
Aarhus, that was where we used to sleep"

Denmark entrepreneur needs to refine that exerbike-food blender idea, the placement is psychologically disconcerting.  Too close to how the SquattyPotty unicorn makes ice cream....

Edited November 17, 2017 by pep4

[Lemons]

35 minutes ago, SmithW6079 said:

RE: The military family moving to Germany. Honestly, I didn't think the husband and wife were any more nasty to each other than any other couple they've featured on this show. That seems to be the HHI shtick -- that couples are moving halfway across the world and they appear to hate each other. I remember one couple moving to Central America, I think, and the wife made it sound in the pre-search interview that she dreaded/detested spending time with her husband. Germany husband gets a minor pass from me because he was a muscular fireplug of a guy, and I'm partial to those.

They seemed to be playing for the camera.  That's funny about the husband, I was noticing him thinking I bet he was good looking back in the day.  

[laredhead]

After reading all of the comments about the Philadelphia to SA episode I knew I had to watch that one.  The wife didn't bug me as much as some others have on HH & HHI, but she wanted to make sure that that everyone knew she had to give up a lot to move to SA.  Their comments about the stairs and tile floors being dangerous for the baby were ridiculous.  I thought the stairs looked more dangerous for an adult wearing high heels, or at least they would be for me.  There are things called baby gates - she should Google that.  Children have been learning to walk on hard floors for centuries and have survived.  The kid was cute.  Wonder if the other mothers in her get together group find her annoying, or maybe they all get together and gripe about living in a foreign country.

As for the housing choices, I thought they were all acceptable from what we were shown, and I would have been happy with #2 or #3.  Wonder how many friends and family members actually traveled there to visit and stay in that extra bedroom?  

[SmithW6079]

Oh my god. The Alaska-to-Perth wife got more annoying and whiny and screechy as the episode progressed, especially at the third house. And she got what she wanted. What a fucking c---.

Then, "conveniently," he got a job at the very same school his daughters attended. How do you go from the oil & gas industry in Alaska to an elementary school in Perth?

The long-distance couple moving to the Netherlands were nice enough, although I was rolling my eyes that she was going to run a yoga studio out of the apartment. 

The couple from Tokyo to Greece was also OK. What's the chance that they're renting the downstairs apartment as an Airbnb?

[laredhead]

When I saw the Tokyo to Greece episode and the "apartment" they chose, I thought the same thing.  That wasn't a single family house, it was a duplex.  As renters of the entire house, I am assuming they can sublet the downstairs apartment and make their rental payments for the entire house with short term rentals of the downstairs.  That was a lovely view from the top floor.

[AlleC17]

On 11/13/2017 at 9:08 PM, JasmineFlower said:

Philly to South Africa episode. Sometimes the spouse being forced to move says "they gave up everything" to move to the place and at times, it seems at times they are blowing things a bit out of proportion. In case anyone is wondering in this case, thought I'd share a little info on the wife. Didn't catch what he did for a living, but when she's saying she gave up her career, it was quite a budding career. Hope that SA job offer is an opportunity of a lifetime. FYI, Philadelphia Magazine (phillymag.com) does not do profiles on just anyone.

Philly Mag article

Technically Philly article

Just watched this last night and I loathed her, so your articles were very interesting.  She follows the hubby around everywhere, it seems, BUT if she chooses to do so, she should quit whining about it.  Each move allowed her to prosper in her own right.  So, even after reading I consider her annoying.  lol

[Pickles]

Tonight's episode with a Utah couple looking in Ecuador. I have not been paying attention, but is it a married real estate couple touring them around? Different.

[TVForever]

12 hours ago, Pickles said:

Tonight's episode with a Utah couple looking in Ecuador. I have not been paying attention, but is it a married real estate couple touring them around? Different.

They’re clearly romantic partners, married or not. I can’t remember another HHI episode where the agents are so obviously shilling for their business. Their first “talking head” shot had the name of their company on the wall behind them, so of course I looked at their page during the episode :)

[mojito]

Utah to Ecuador

Yikes. Those were quite some houses. One sat on a barren landscape reminiscent of a sci-fi setting. While I like modern places just fine, they all lacked warmth, I thought, and looked more like office buildings I had worked in in the past. One kitchen was dark and cave-like. Glass partial walls. Four bedrooms, seven bathrooms? It was a very overcast day, so the region wasn't not at all pretty or impressive-looking.

There seemed to be a big background story behind this family, but HHI wasn't telling. Interesting episode.

[juliet73]

I loved the house they chose in Ecuador! I thought the wife was kinda being a diva about the laundry situation. Yes, it was outside, but it's not like they live in the Artic. I didn't think walking a few steps outside to a designated laundry room was that big of a deal, but she acted like she had to walk down to a creek to wash the clothes. 

[Kiddvideo]

On 11/21/2017 at 0:12 PM, mojito said:

There seemed to be a big background story behind this family, but HHI wasn't telling. Interesting episode.

Thought the same about the family but turned the channel after the first house. Couldn't watch.

Croatia: that brunette. It felt like she had nothing positive to say about the beach properties and shot down even the most innocuous compliment made by the redhead. And she can't cook breakfast on a one burner stove but she can share a one bedroom apartment. I think the redhead should've suggested they save more money until they could find a better compromise.

Chicago: I'm picturing being the seller. I read their letter (young married couple? Just finishing school? Fell in love with the city? Looking to start their lives together in their first "real" home?), and I accept their offer for $20K below asking...and then I watch him plonk a seven foot movie screen on the wall.

New Zealand: Another brilliant "hide the important detail" moment. The bush location was perfect for him, but the beach house was too close to the city AND he suddenly expressed concern about her walking the equivalent of a 5 minute drive to get to stores since he would have the car for work. So they're not picking the bush house?

Why does this stupid show work?

[mojito]

Croatia

I felt uncomfortable about that venture. They started out with little money and opposing desires, and I still wondered if this was going to work out.

New Zealand

I'm glad they didn't get the bush house. She really doesn't know him well; I could  see her ending up on a True Crime show, living in a remote, foreign land with a man she knows little about. 

I listened to his Kiwi accent and her Scottish accent and didn't realize for a while that the real estate agent had a (non-southern) North American accent.

[snarts]

New Zealand:  the bush house was tiny!  I thought the apartment was a nice compromise. Kinda sad that they got married so quickly her friends/family couldn't make it.  Why the rush I wonder.

Ecuador: loved the house they chose. Do they plan to be there full time or is it a vacation/retirement investment. I watch the show the house porn but I want the backstory to make sense.

[doodlebug]

2 hours ago, snarts said:

New Zealand:  the bush house was tiny!  I thought the apartment was a nice compromise. Kinda sad that they got married so quickly her friends/family couldn't make it.  Why the rush I wonder.

Ecuador: loved the house they chose. Do they plan to be there full time or is it a vacation/retirement investment. I watch the show the house porn but I want the backstory to make sense.

The Ecuador family was planning to use the place part time until their kids were grown and then move down there permanently.

[Spunkygal]

Car rally racers move to Northampton, England: while it always great to see realtor Richard Blanco, I didn't care for the dynamic between the couple. Her dry humor and the way she picked on the guy bugged me and I agreed when Richard said he wasn't sure how these two would live together. And she forcefully reminded the guy that she was making the bigger sacrifice to move there, so of course they chose the house she wanted. Well, of course, I was wrong. At the end, they had gotten married! I have to remind myself that 98% of this show is manufactured. Richard is still so engaging.

[juliet73]

On 11/23/2017 at 9:43 AM, mojito said:

 

New Zealand

I'm glad they didn't get the bush house. She really doesn't know him well; I could  see her ending up on a True Crime show, living in a remote, foreign land with a man she knows little about. 

 

This!!  They've known each 5 months and basically only by phone.  She moves a million miles away to be with him, and now he wants to live off the grid in the middle of nowhere?  I'm assuming he must have proposed over the phone for her to move down there, but of course the show says it differently.  

I liked the house they chose.  They were a good looking couple too.

[Neurochick]

On 11/22/2017 at 1:23 AM, juliet73 said:

I loved the house they chose in Ecuador! I thought the wife was kinda being a diva about the laundry situation. Yes, it was outside, but it's not like they live in the Artic. I didn't think walking a few steps outside to a designated laundry room was that big of a deal, but she acted like she had to walk down to a creek to wash the clothes. 

Yes, but it was in the middle of nowhere and they didn’t have a car.  So how do they get anywhere?  How will they get groceries?

Its like people hate being around other humans.

[debraran]

1 hour ago, Spunkygal said:

Car rally racers move to Northampton, England: while it always great to see realtor Richard Blanco, I didn't care for the dynamic between the couple. Her dry humor and the way she picked on the guy bugged me and I agreed when Richard said he wasn't sure how these two would live together. And she forcefully reminded the guy that she was making the bigger sacrifice to move there, so of course they chose the house she wanted. Well, of course, I was wrong. At the end, they had gotten married! I have to remind myself that 98% of this show is manufactured. Richard is still so engaging.

Yes, they didn't seem to have any real chemistry and the "he'll do what I want" was a bit overdone. I thought it they didn't get a garage, it would be rotten but they got a nice place. Seems to be a trend lately, couples who barely know each other getting married and going on HHI. lol

[SmithW6079]

On 11/23/2017 at 10:43 AM, mojito said:

Croatia

I felt uncomfortable about that venture. They started out with little money and opposing desires, and I still wondered if this was going to work out.

 

They were an odd couple of women.  It almost sounded like having once been travel buddies, now that they bought the place, they would be traveling individually more often than not. It also seemed like the shorter woman was actually planning to live there for a while -- didn't she say she was a freelance writer or something that didn't seemed tied down to a specific location? If that's the case, then I think she should pay more. And they were planning to rent it out as a vacation rental?

On 11/23/2017 at 11:00 AM, snarts said:

New Zealand:  the bush house was tiny!  I thought the apartment was a nice compromise. Kinda sad that they got married so quickly her friends/family couldn't make it.  Why the rush I wonder.

I liked the bush house -- I think it was still bigger than most of the homes they show on all those tiny house shows. I figure they got married quickly so she could stay in the country and get a job.

[Neurochick]

On 11/14/2017 at 9:15 PM, juliet73 said:

 

She was just rude. Rude to her husband, rude to the agents, etc.  Everything was all about HER and Sebastian. What was with her obsession in having a pool? The realtor(s) mentioned a nearby public pool, but of course that wasn't good enough for her Royal Highness.  I thought it was strange that she and the husband mentioned the dangers of the stairs and tiled floors, but were both totally fine with having an exposed flame fireplace and a pool in the backyard.    

Ugh, what an annoying witch!

Loved the mother/daughter realtor combo.

Why would someone with a new baby, in a foreign country, want to live in the middle of nowhere?  Give me the city center.

Edited November 24, 2017 by Neurochick

[aguabella]

On ‎11‎/‎23‎/‎2017 at 8:00 AM, snarts said:

 New Zealand:  the bush house was tiny!  I thought the apartment was a nice compromise. Kinda sad that they got married so quickly her friends/family couldn't make it.  Why the rush I wonder.

Ecuador: loved the house they chose. Do they plan to be there full time or is it a vacation/retirement investment. I watch the show the house porn but I want the backstory to make sense.

New Zealand nuptials:  Didn't care enough to look them up but my thinking was they rushed to film / stage that beautiful (lol) wedding, uh possible wedding, on the beach.

My bet:  Sure, the woman might be a minister but no way the nuptials were legal / official.

 

Ecuador:  The Utah couple weren't retirement age but indicated they'd consider relocating permanently, in the future.  My guess:  definite maybe. 

Personally, I've had several friends from Utah.  Although none were even close to retirement age, they each had a strong connection or affinity to or for their home state and eventually, returned.  Never knew if it was strictly the religion, family ties, the outdoor lifestyle, e.g. hunting / fishing or all of the above.  That Ecuador place might be available on the s/t rental websites for many years, if my experience is typical.

Edited November 25, 2017 by aguabella

[aguabella]

4 hours ago, Neurochick said:

Ugh, what an annoying witch!

Loved the mother/daughter realtor combo.

Why would someone with a new baby, in a foreign country, want to live in the middle of nowhere?  Give me the city center.

SA episode, correct?

Many expats, especially those visiting temporarily on corporate exchange programs for their employer(s), live in homes either provided by and/or sourced by their employer(s).  The locations are usually very convenient to work, if not the local area.  And, it's a turnkey solution as various employees and their families cycle through exchange programs every 6 - 18 months.

Don't know for certain but they gave me that impression during the episode ... together with years of checking out HHI participants' backstories.

Didn't research her husband's situation but based upon their description of the gig (during the episode) and the fact that they were only there 6-9 months, that was my hunch about their living situation.  

[mojito]

Northampton Car Couple

I was really working up a good dislike on that woman. She gave up so much to come to Northampton, she gave up so much. So very much. My eyes were beading up and I gave her the stink eye. Then she threw out the place she liked the most. So I saved up all my steam for:

Puerto Penosco wife. Didn't like the warm yellows and reds of one place because yes, it was Mexican, but it was somehow too common for her. I coulda slapped her for that one. And then she, too, compromised in the end.

Maybe I need to join a gym and take up boxing.....

[aguabella]

On ‎10‎/‎27‎/‎2017 at 11:05 AM, snarts said:

She can certainly hire people to do the work.  For me, the privacy would be worth it.  The only difference is that in my HH (months later) update, I'd have adopted a few more dogs :)

Tulum, Mexico:

Sorry for the late reply, snarts.  Away from the website for months recently so reading back the thread.

Great idea with the pups but don't hold your breath, waiting for the production company's filming team to return, lol.  They typically schedule 4-6 episodes over a few months in a given area.  After their standard 6 months post-production, they air them over a month or two.  Each individual episode requires 40+ hours and 4-6 days, including retakes.  Filming's usually scheduled, for each given episode, over about 2 weeks.  They intersperse retakes and opening/closing scenes for other episodes during the 2 weeks..

Incidentally, the woman introduced her handyman during the closing scenes.  Just my hunch but I had the sense her home was surrounded by more than a few similar tract homes.

The screen chyron?  The months selected typically reflect the whim of the current unpaid intern.  (Many participants have joked about this to me, over the years!)

 

Remember the young guy from NOLA in the Rome episode?  The chyron said 9 months, right?  (Whatever, doesn't matter, lol.)  Anybody else see the mini that was parked directly in front of his building?  During both the episode and the closing scenes, 9 months later !!!  No, it wasn't dusty and dirty or covered with parking tickets, lol ...  some coincidence, huh!

[JasmineFlower]

The New York City to Argentina episode with the Ginger Rapper of questionable acclaim and his strangely committed girlfriend, neither who holds down a job after moving, is on HHI tonight if you never caught it before.

[SmithW6079]

The couple moving from Minnesota to Kenya: For the most part, they were OK, although the wife's attitude that she's the one whose life is changing the most was off-putting. I wasn't quite sure I heard her correctly when she was pushing for the gated community, that she needed her "tribe" to help her as a stay-at-home mom. Did Mrs. Midwest White Bread say "tribe" just because she was in Africa? 

The husband was a little annoying in his insistence on the "real" Africa. Dude, are you expecting to live in a grass hut with lions roaming outside the door? You're moving to a city, which will be much the same as every other city.

For shows like this that are in developing countries, I always wonder why they complain a house is too large to take care of. These people are renting enormous homes for the same price you'd rent a shoebox in NYC, and their rents are company-paid. I think you can spring for some domestic help, which not only takes care of your concerns about managing the housework and helps the local economy.

This may be a UO, but I don't care that these ex-pats are really only going for a year or so as part of a job rotation, not relocating forever and ever. I just like looking at different countries and seeing the different types of houses.

[BlossomCulp]

Didn't see that episode but we have friends who are members of the diplomatic community and were posted to Kenya and there was no way they would have lived anywhere but a gated community, or in an extremely secure apartment building.  They enjoyed their time there but it was not by any stretch of the imagination the safest assignment they ever had.

[Kohola3]

DC to Australia couple - they were really a charming couple.  No snarking, no unreasonable demands, no making fun of each other, no snotty remarks.  Not the house I would have chosen but they are young and can manage those stairs for a while.  Totally refreshing to see.  I do have to wonder how they plan on supporting themselves!

[Thumper]

Couple leaving the rat race of D.C. to move to his native Australia ( although he had no accent and no mention of family still there).  Were either of them intending to find work in Australia?  That was confusing to me.  Her short jean shorts with pockets hanging out were also distracting.

[suebee12]

Northampton Car Couple

Just getting caught up from the long weekend! I knew right away that they would choose the first house! How you ask? There was a very expensive automotive tool chest sitting in the corner of that bare naked garage! There was no way anyone would leave that behind! The chest it self is very costly and then add in tools, and you are looking at a fortune. I imagine it was too heavy to move easily so they didn't! The other thing I noticed was that while they were having tea in the middle of the segment, they both suddenly had wedding rings on! In the shots before and after, they didn't but someone doing the editing didn't notice that they were on in that scene.

I did enjoy this show though because of the scenery and the homes! I really liked the third house and the second one was nice except for the "bedroom" if you could call it that. The one funny thing was the man was from England but he was the one who wanted the quaint English charm....isn't the newbie to the country supposed to ask for that, not the other way around?

Edited November 29, 2017 by suebee12