House Hunters International - General Discussion

[Kohola3]

2 hours ago, BlossomCulp said:

Yeah I can sympathize with the notion of wanting to make a complete break and get as far away as you can from the stress and tension!  The problem with HHI is that they can't just say that, noooo, they have to make up some silly backstory that raises more questions than it answers.

Somehow moving to a foreign country halfway around the world and having to live on a tight budget does not scream "breaking away from stress and tension" to me.  There are lots of places in the US where the life style is slower and you can reevaluate your goals that aren't going to cost thousands of dollars in travel costs just to get there.  That story was flimflam.

[Babalooie]

I'll begin by saying that my hair has been nearly every color known to man, but I've never seen a dentist with hair like she had.  Maybe she colored it because she's on a break house hunting instead of working. 

[AuntiePam]

49 minutes ago, Babalooie said:

I'll begin by saying that my hair has been nearly every color known to man, but I've never seen a dentist with hair like she had.  Maybe she colored it because she's on a break house hunting instead of working. 

I wondered about that too, but didn't one of their kids (the son) have bright red hair?  Her complexion was fair, so maybe most of the red was natural. 

I thought the husband had an accent -- or maybe a slight speech defect.  I hate to say "defect", maybe "anomaly" is a better word.  That made me wonder if he had connections in New Zealand, which was why they chose NZ.

[doodlebug]

36 minutes ago, AuntiePam said:

I wondered about that too, but didn't one of their kids (the son) have bright red hair?  Her complexion was fair, so maybe most of the red was natural. 

I thought the husband had an accent -- or maybe a slight speech defect.  I hate to say "defect", maybe "anomaly" is a better word.  That made me wonder if he had connections in New Zealand, which was why they chose NZ.

I thought he had an accent, too.  His last name was Hispanic, Ruiz, I think, but his accent didn't really sound Hispanic to me.

Her hair was not a color of red found in nature.  Maybe she was a natural redhead, but she'd obviously done something to it.

[chocolatine]

I hate to be mean, but I found TN-to-NZ dentist's personality so off-putting that I couldn't imagine letting her work on my teeth. She could be the most technically proficient dentist ever, but I'd still ask for someone else.

I thought the vintage house in the town center was super-cute. The Australia/New Zealand episodes usually tend to feature more modern/cookie cutter homes, so it's nice to see some local architectural styles.

[pep4]

13 hours ago, BlossomCulp said:

Yeah I can sympathize with the notion of wanting to make a complete break and get as far away as you can from the stress and tension!  The problem with HHI is that they can't just say that, noooo, they have to make up some silly backstory that raises more questions than it answers.

Yep, a lot of producer written BS lines in that episode.  They were portrayed as moving to a simpler life in a small town, but they were already from a tiny town.  Lawrenceburg, TN, has a population of 14,000, relatively in the middle of nowhere.  Trying to escape the grueling 3 minute drive to McDonalds?  They moved to Palmerstown North, about 6 times as big at 85,000.

 

As a Texan, I'm almost certain his accent was Hispanic.  I thought they were fine, just a victim of HGTV's typical canned phoniness.  Hope they enjoy NZ, I'm a little jealous.

[nanometer]

1 minute ago, pep4 said:

Yep, a lot of producer written BS lines in that episode.  They were portrayed as moving to a simpler life in a small town, but they were already from a tiny town.  Lawrenceburg, TN, has a population of 14,000, relatively in the middle of nowhere.  Trying to escape the grueling 3 minute drive to McDonalds?  They moved to Palmerstown North, about 6 times as big at 85,000.

Thanks for this info. She mentioned wanting to take advantage of Palmerston's green spaces, but I thought Tennessee — let alone much of the U.S. — has plenty of those?

"Wanting a simpler life" is such a cover for other issues that are most likely a bit sensitive, and therefore probably more interesting.

[mojito]

Quote

Somehow moving to a foreign country halfway around the world and having to live on a tight budget does not scream "breaking away from stress and tension" to me. 

 

Quote

"Wanting a simpler life" is such a cover for other issues that are most likely a bit sensitive, and therefore probably more interesting.

My sense was that her practice was not doing all that well or there were legal troubles or something. I thought her budget sounded awfully low for someone who's a successful dentist, even one relocating and taking a salary hit. She did not strike me as a pleasant person. Maybe too many patients thought so, too.

I thought that her husband's native language was Spanish. I hope she's nicer to him than she seems to be.

Suddenly remembered the name of the town and found this, for what it's worth.

Edited April 8, 2018 by mojito

[Pickles]

Does it look like the TN dentist is still in TN? I googled around and everything looks pretty current. Her dad is in the practice with her, along with another dentist/anesthesiologist. There are group photos from the dental office. Looks like the husband is in them too--apparently part of the staff? Who knows. Maybe she is in New Zealand and the things I am seeing are not as current as I think.

[laredhead]

I found this brief bio about her work with a New Zealand dental group, and it is dated 2017.

"Kimberly went to dental school at Loma Linda University School of Dentistry in California. After graduating in 2004, she worked at her own dental practice until she crossed the Pacific Ocean to join the Manawatu Dental Group in 2017.

Like her dentist father before her, Kimberly is adamant about giving her patients the level of care they need during their visit while treatment planning to prevent future problems and pain. She enjoys using the latest dental technology to give patients a smile they can be proud to share with others. Over the more than twelve years of experience in her own dental practice, Kimberly has seen all ages, abilities, and needs and is always ready to rise to the next challenge.

Kimberly enjoys her relaxed life in New Zealand with her husband, daughter, son, and 3 kg chihuahua, Bucky."

[doodlebug]

4 hours ago, Pickles said:

Does it look like the TN dentist is still in TN? I googled around and everything looks pretty current. Her dad is in the practice with her, along with another dentist/anesthesiologist. There are group photos from the dental office. Looks like the husband is in them too--apparently part of the staff? Who knows. Maybe she is in New Zealand and the things I am seeing are not as current as I think.

All of the reviews at the yellow pages site are from 2016, nothing more recent, which is consistent with the move to NZ in 2017.

Edited April 9, 2018 by doodlebug

[Ohwell]

Couple moving to Prague:  The guy's voice was so annoyingly whiny, it was hard to get through the episode.

[7-Zark-7]

Re: Brooklyn to Prague couple

I thought her dog love crossed over into obsession, but she was so positive about everything, that she won me over. I've never seen a realtor smile so much as hers did when she went on about how wonderful some aspect of each apartment was. I'm sure they'll be happy there, they seem happy to be everywhere.

[doodlebug]

4 minutes ago, 7-Zark-7 said:

Re: Brooklyn to Prague couple

I thought her dog love crossed over into obsession, but she was so positive about everything, that she won me over. I've never seen a realtor smile so much as hers did when she went on about how wonderful some aspect of each apartment was. I'm sure they'll be happy there, they seem happy to be everywhere.

I liked them, they seemed to be realistic and also interested in embracing the adventure of living in a foreign country.  The husband even said they were in good health, they had no kids, their parents were healthy; if not now, when?  I must admit I am a sucker for dogs and her enthusiasm for the Czech love of dogs was a plus for me.

[proserpina65]

On ‎03‎/‎14‎/‎2018 at 1:14 PM, Scout Finch said:

My two cats are family but the only time they factor into choosing a new place is just that pets must be allowed.

I have to confess: enough space so that I could feed the cats separately and they could have time apart would be a factor for me.  My older cat needs time away from the extremely energetic younger one.

[Scout Finch]

I really should feed them separately because Willow doesn't scarf hers down right away and so Scout then moves a couple of inches over to her bowl when she wanders off on a break for a few minutes. The kitten picture? Scout, five and a half years ago...and when he was about 18 lbs. lighter. Maine Coons get big! Willow is a tortie and about half his size.

The Tennessee to New Zealand woman is running a close second to the woman in the Tennessee to Costa Rica episode as most insufferable. I don't know how long I'd last in the real estate business before snapping and blurting out, "OMG, STFU!" after the umpteenth ridiculous complaint.

Edited April 10, 2018 by Scout Finch

[nanometer]

2 hours ago, Scout Finch said:

The Tennessee to New Zealand woman is running a close second to the woman in the Tennessee to Costa Rica episode as most insufferable. I don't know how long I'd last in the real estate business before snapping and blurting out, "OMG, STFU!" after the umpteenth ridiculous complaint.

It was off-putting when she called herself the man in the marriage. At least she didn't go on about needing to expose the kids to "culture," as if North America has none.

[nanometer]

7 hours ago, doodlebug said:

I liked them, they seemed to be realistic and also interested in embracing the adventure of living in a foreign country.  The husband even said they were in good health, they had no kids, their parents were healthy; if not now, when?  I must admit I am a sucker for dogs and her enthusiasm for the Czech love of dogs was a plus for me.

They were positive without being snobby or uncomfortably weird, which is kind of rare in HHI :)  And their dog is super cute.

[sempervivum]

Seattle to Berlin family- They could afford $4K rent, so apparently the radio station is willing to pay big bucks for this old dude to broadcast from Germany while pretending to be in Seattle? At least he gave in to the wife/kids needs, I guess. The first place was cool, but I could see her point about it not having a yard and being far from school.

[biakbiak]

The first place was absolutely ridiculous, it made me wonder if the artist was a friend of the realtor or someone on production's friend.

[mojito]

Seattle to Berlin

I'm glad the wife got her way in this. Five days a week, they will be commuting to and from school for most of the year. Going into Berlin on weekends makes more sense than having a long commute to school. I can't believe I've don't this now twice in a week 'cause I generally don't care enough to check up on these things. But here's Marty's radio station. I wonder if a secondary reason that Marty wanted to stay in Berlin was that he was a bit queasy about being able to keep his Seattle job and he wanted to live closer to where his next job might be. 

[Kohola3]

Penniless in Placencia

For the love of all that is holy, take the pacifier out of that kid's mouth. If they can talk around it, they are too old for one.

Edited April 12, 2018 by Kohola3

[mojito]

Placencia, Belize

It looks like this couple is in a race to see who can get melanoma first.

To me it seems that he should have stuck to his guns and waited a couple more years to make this move. Who knows? Maybe they have a lot of money. 

Are they back in New Jersey yet?

[Ohwell]

Belize couple's acting was pretty bad at the end when they were "making their decision."  I know it was supposed to be their normal speaking voices, but they were practically yelling at each other.

 

18 hours ago, Kohola3 said:

For the love of all that is holy, take the pacifier out of that kid's mouth. If they can talk around it, they are too old for one.

Yeah, poor Mitch.

[Kohola3]

Taipei couple - I'm confused.  The last apartment was supposedly on budget but was completely empty. Wouldn't they have had to completely furnish it?  How could it be on budget then?

[chocolatine]

On 4/11/2018 at 8:33 PM, mojito said:

Going into Berlin on weekends

The house they picked was still in Berlin. Berlin is a sprawling city, and has lovely residential neighborhoods as well as the more hip, touristy areas. The husband said several times that he had such a deep connection to Berlin, but as soon as they stepped outside of the city center he was whining that it didn't feel like Germany even though that neighborhood was quintessentially German (take it from someone who lived in Germany for 17 years).

The NJ -> Belize couple really annoyed me because they seemed to have no idea what they were doing and what their long-term financial plan was.

[sempervivum]

Quote

Taipei couple - I'm confused.  The last apartment was supposedly on budget but was completely empty. Wouldn't they have had to completely furnish it?  How could it be on budget then?

HHI logic: The wife was actually complaining about that really nice furniture in apartment 2 (the one they picked at the end), but totally didn't comment on ZERO furniture in apartment 3. However, really cute family!

[irisheyes]

I know Taipei dad didn’t have a job, but would it be that hard for him to find one?  I’m assuming he’s fluent in Chinese, so I’m guessing some firm would hire him, especially since he’s bilingual. But, I know literally nothing about the Taiwanese economy. ?

[biakbiak]

1 hour ago, irisheyes said:

I know Taipei dad didn’t have a job, but would it be that hard for him to find one?  I’m assuming he’s fluent in Chinese, so I’m guessing some firm would hire him, especially since he’s bilingual. But, I know literally nothing about the Taiwanese economy. ?

He was doing freelance consulting.

I know that they always fake scenes but them acting like the kids being unfamiliar with the buns was ridiculous. They grew up in Redwood City to an immigrant and first generation Tawainese there is no way tgey weren't familiar. It looks like the kids are also fluent because at the end her math homework was in Mandarin.

[nanometer]

56 minutes ago, biakbiak said:

I know that they always fake scenes but them acting like the kids being unfamiliar with the buns was ridiculous. They grew up in Redwood City to an immigrant and first generation Tawainese there is no way tgey weren't familiar. It looks like the kids are also fluent because at the end her math homework was in Mandarin.

Yep. The kids seemed comfortable. Growing up in the SF Bay Area probably helps make moving to Asia not so daunting!

[biakbiak]

I could not handle the first Zurich kitchen. So tiny! The place felt like a hotel room. 

[Kohola3]

4 hours ago, biakbiak said:

I could not handle the first Zurich kitchen. So tiny!

I don't even think that could be called a kitchen.  I've seen bigger ones at motels.  That must be for people who eat out every day.  The cupboards were big enough for, what, a couple of plates and cups? Certainly no cooking utensils.

[Ohwell]

I liked the Switzerland couple, thankfully they weren't whiny and annoying.  However, in the voiceover intro, the woman said that Zurich was the capital and while Zurich is the largest city, I've always thought it was Bern.  I looked it up and sure enough, it's Bern.   

[mojito]

I liked the Switzerland couple, too. She was such an introvert but fortunately, he wasn't one of those domineering, attention-grabbing kind of extroverts. I like it when the non-working spouse prefers to live outside the city.

[Kohola3]

I thought they were a cute couple and I liked that he didn't insist on that horrible little box in town.

[Spunkygal]

I loved when they were at a market and he said "you can't get fat on free food!"  And he liked lavender shirts! I really liked this couple. I'm now dying for some fondue.

[Kohola3]

31 minutes ago, Spunkygal said:

...."you can't get fat on free food!"

Bless his heart.  If only that were true!

[abbyzenn]

I also liked the Zurich couple - him especially.   She needs someone like him to bring her out of her shell.  They were rather refreshing for this show - no unrealistic needs, no talk of needing a space for 100 to entertain, no need for a second bathroom for guests, etc..  Liked that he talked about their need to make friends especially for her..   He did seem to enjoy eating! The apartment was nice but I would have chosen the third one.

[doodlebug]

1 hour ago, abbyzenn said:

I also liked the Zurich couple - him especially.   She needs someone like him to bring her out of her shell.  They were rather refreshing for this show - no unrealistic needs, no talk of needing a space for 100 to entertain, no need for a second bathroom for guests, etc..  Liked that he talked about their need to make friends especially for her..   He did seem to enjoy eating! The apartment was nice but I would have chosen the third one.

I thought they were very cute together and had realistic expectations.  It did seem like a case of opposites attracting and I liked the way they supported one another without expecting the other to change completely.  The husband understood that just moving all the way to Zurich was a big leap for her and was not going to push her any further by insisting on city living.

 

  I must say, I had no idea how ridiculously high rents were in Zurich.  For $3600 a month, that place in downtown Zurich was teeny tiny and the furnishings looked cheap. Even the place they chose, that was $10 under their budget, was nothing much.  I, too, liked the last one best.

[chocolatine]

I've only been to Zurich once, but I remember the city center being very picturesque, not at all like the area where the first apartment was. I'm sure there were a ton of better options in the city (though maybe not within their budget).

I thought the husband insisting on being in the city center was producer driven. They used to live on Mercer Island, a suburb 20 minutes from Seattle. If he'd been a true city person, he'd have lived in Seattle. In the end, it was obvious he was very comfortable living in a suburb.

6 minutes ago, doodlebug said:

I must say, I had no idea how ridiculously high rents were in Zurich.  For $3600 a month, that place in downtown Zurich was teeny tiny and the furnishings looked cheap. Even the place they chose, that was $10 under their budget, was nothing much.

Switzerland has a very high cost of living. Not just housing prices, everything else too. It's jarring compared to nearby countries like Germany and Austria.

[Bastet]

2 minutes ago, doodlebug said:

I must say, I had no idea how ridiculously high rents were in Zurich. 

Switzerland is a notoriously expensive country (expensive to visit, because of the currency exchange rate, but also a high cost of living for residents), and Zurich is one of the most-expensive cities in the world (and the most expensive in Europe).

[scrb]

Planning a trip there for August.

I was looking at hotels which offer good half board options so that I wouldn't have to spend at least $40 for a simple meal.

even fast food meals are around $20 per person.

[Ohwell]

20 minutes ago, scrb said:

even fast food meals are around $20 per person.

My goodness!  I had no idea Switzerland was so expensive.

[chessiegal]

My husband had a colleague who took a 2 year assignment in Switzerland. She was close enough to France they rented a house there because Switzerland was so expensive.

We're hoping to go to Germany, Austria, and Switzerland middle May/June. Right now we have booked a cabin on the QM2 from New York to Hamburg. Depends on my husband's recovery from surgery this week. His doctor thinks we will be able to go.

[Spunkygal]

5 minutes ago, chessiegal said:

My husband had a colleague who took a 2 year assignment in Switzerland. She was close enough to France they rented a house there because Switzerland was so expensive.

We're hoping to go to Germany, Austria, and Switzerland middle May/June. Right now we have booked a cabin on the QM2 from New York to Hamburg. Depends on my husband's recovery from surgery this week. His doctor thinks we will be able to go.

Best wishes that he makes a great recovery! 

[scrb]

32 minutes ago, Ohwell said:

My goodness!  I had no idea Switzerland was so expensive.

Many of the countries require that restaurant workers, including fast food restaurant workers, get paid fairly well.

They are not dependent on tip because the service is included in the cost of the food.

I think McDonald's workers make over $50k in Denmark.  I'm sure Switzerland is similar.

Several years ago, I saw someone in a McDonalds uniform get into the subway in Hong Kong and pull out an iPhone, back when it was still relatively rare for people to carry around a $700 phone with service costing at least $60 in the US.

[kirklandia]

Just started playing back “Seattle to Berlin” on my DVR.  Saw the name and hit pause.  Not sure if I can watch this one.  

Marty Riemer was a local celebrity here , for two reasons.  

1.  As a radio personality and

2.  He and his neighbors cut down a bunch of trees that were on public property, to improve their views.  That is some serious shit here where we love our trees.

https://www.google.com/amp/q13fox.com/2016/09/20/seattle-files-1-6-million-suit-after-150-trees-cut-down-in-west-seattle/amp/

I guess he he and his family had to flee the scene of the crime.

Edited April 15, 2018 by kirklandia

[nanometer]

1 hour ago, kirklandia said:

https://www.google.com/amp/q13fox.com/2016/09/20/seattle-files-1-6-million-suit-after-150-trees-cut-down-in-west-seattle/amp/

I guess he he and his family had to flee the scene of the crime.

It now kind of makes sense why he insisted on being "where the action is" even though he didn't get his way. Fewer reminders of quiet West Seattle... and all those trees.

[nanometer]

12 hours ago, chocolatine said:

I thought the husband insisting on being in the city center was producer driven. They used to live on Mercer Island, a suburb 20 minutes from Seattle. If he'd been a true city person, he'd have lived in Seattle. In the end, it was obvious he was very comfortable living in a suburb.

He also commented a couple of times about how the surroundings reminded him of home. That first tiny apartment looked like it could've been off of Interstate 5 cutting through an edge of downtown Seattle, and the others had views that reminded me of sections off of Lake Washington.

Edited April 15, 2018 by nanometer
Fixing typo

[abbyzenn]

Just watched the Seattle to Berlin episode.  That first apartment was one of the strangest they have ever shown on this show.  Living in an art gallery?  That's not your art?  Do people wander in looking at the art?  Or was it by appointment only?  And sure when you have children have them sleep in a separate apartment from where you're sleeping?  The whole thing didn't make sense.  While I liked the wife, Marty was too much.  Hopefully his dismissal of the kids commute to school was just producer driven otherwise he's pretty selfish for a parent.