House Hunters International - General Discussion

[Dewey Decimate]

On 1/17/2019 at 8:21 AM, Pickles said:

The Texas to Mexico couple last night. I didn't give the episode my full attention, but I disliked this couple immensely. They chose to move to Mexico, but the husband was complaining how they gave up so much to move there, blah, blah, and they wanted to get what they wanted, etc. She complained about green tile in a kitchen and orange paint. They complained that their dogs couldn't be off leash. He complained that they weren't right on the beach. Not enough privacy in another place. It was endless. Their agent was fed up with them, as she should have been. They were so unpleasant and seemed so full of themselves. Good luck making friends there.

The part that elicited an out-loud "F^$# Y0^" was when she couldn't stop bitching about "all the ORANGE" *dripping with disdain* after we saw snapshots of their old home. Which featured a huge orange cushion on the patio couch. That couple was disgusting.

The Poland couple were lovely. I'm not a smooshy-baby-coo-coo type, but when the little boy gently patted his mother's belly, awwwww!

Edited January 19, 2019 by Dewey Decimate
To clarify that the people were disgusting, not the cushion. Orange is dandy.

[LittleIggy]

The only place that should have a spiral staircase is an Austen Powers style mod, groovy bachelor pad. Yeah, baby! 😆

[MartyQui]

The England to Poland child probably thought they were moving from the house they already had...which was really cute.

[Booklady1017]

No one posted yet about last night’s show?

[Pickles]

I just saw the last half of last night's show with the mother and daughter in Mexico. I liked them. They seemed reasonable and pleasant. Their agent was nice too. I thought they chose the right place. Glad they did not pick the place where the mother thought she could do renovations.

[Booklady1017]

14 minutes ago, Pickles said:

I just saw the last half of last night's show with the mother and daughter in Mexico. I liked them. They seemed reasonable and pleasant. Their agent was nice too. I thought they chose the right place. Glad they did not pick the place where the mother thought she could do renovations.

I loved the mom but the daughter annoyed me a little bit. I felt like she wanted her mother to pay more for what she wanted. Maybe I was wrong about that, I’m not sure. What I do know is if the daughter wanted to win her argument, she should have started with the argument that she used in the end how she wanted her parents to relax so they can enjoy more time with the grandkids. And even when she was using arguments to support the second place, she should most of them seemed to directly relate to her and not the family. That being said I liked the place they picked best. 

[LittleIggy]

Since they had two young kids, I would have thought a three bedroom unit (in general, not just the place shown)would have beeen more practical with the daughter and hubby kicking in for the extra room. Were the kids going to sleep in the living room? They were too young for the upper bunk.

[Booklady1017]

4 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

Since they had two young kids, I would have thought a three bedroom unit (in general, not just the place shown)would have beeen more practical with the daughter and hubby kicking in for the extra room. Were the kids going to sleep in the living room? They were too young for the upper bunk.

Good question. The baby could sleep in a crib in their room but I'm not sure about the older girl.

[Pickles]

Dublin episode tonight. They acted like the wife gave up her job and would not be working in Dublin. I looked her up and she has worked in Dublin since late 2017 and appears she has even gotten a promotion in her field. Looks like she is some kind of corporate trainer. Why didn’t they just reveal that on the show? They made this big deal about the husband finally being the bread winner in Dublin. 

[chessiegal]

Oh, but at the end, the Dublin wife miraculousy found a job.

[Pickles]

7 minutes ago, chessiegal said:

Oh, but at the end, the Dublin wife miraculousy found a job.

Okay, maybe I missed this. I thought she said she could get a job, if they took the last place for $3100. But, then they took the first place and she was talking about being more relaxed and cooking and walking to the park. So, I took that to mean she did NOT go back to work.

[LittleIggy]

43 minutes ago, Pickles said:

Okay, maybe I missed this. I thought she said she could get a job, if they took the last place for $3100. But, then they took the first place and she was talking about being more relaxed and cooking and walking to the park. So, I took that to mean she did NOT go back to work.

I didn’t hear her say she had gotten a job either. Why do they not tell these things? Her voice irritated the 💩 out of me. I understand not wanting that long commute, but I loved the Victorian house.

[sempervivum]

Colorado to Dublin- I loved the way they seamlessly went from 'our budget is $1700 at MOST' to 'oh, yay, the first place you show us is $2600, that's right on budget'!

She had some kind of combination baby voice and elderly valley girl affectations that bu-u-u-gged me. I also couldn't figure out if she was over-botoxed, or if she just had popeyes and invisible eyebrows. I felt sorry for her poor grizzled little husband. 

It was funny to see an episode where the European is a full foot taller than the Americans. It was also funny to see fake grass being used in green Ireland.

[Booklady1017]

On 1/22/2019 at 11:22 PM, Pickles said:

Okay, maybe I missed this. I thought she said she could get a job, if they took the last place for $3100. But, then they took the first place and she was talking about being more relaxed and cooking and walking to the park. So, I took that to mean she did NOT go back to work.

It was difficult to like the wife in Dublin because she really reminded me a lot of someone I don’t like.

[pep4]

High Maintenance & Sugar Dad to Medellin:  OK, I missed the opening, did they explain exactly why Medellin and their backgrounds?  Because, um, I have lots of questions....

[Pickles]

12 minutes ago, pep4 said:

High Maintenance & Sugar Dad to Medellin:  OK, I missed the opening, did they explain exactly why Medellin and their backgrounds?  Because, um, I have lots of questions....

They were married. Moved from Chicago to start a fashion business together. Wanted to work with local artisans. She worked in fashion in Chicago. He said he owned several businesses. 

[LittleIggy]

Medellin: I don’t think the wife knew what “introvert” means because she didn’t seem like an introvert. 

[Pickles]

8 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

Medellin: I don’t think the wife knew what “introvert” means because she didn’t seem like an introvert. 

I think she meant that she had to get away from her "always on" husband who was trying to play the role of the fun parent.

[mojito]

US to Medellin

I thought the couple was fine. She seemed introverted to me, especially compared to him, what with her desire for quiet space alone. I liked that she didn't go on about being "creative". I'm not sure if he would've spent much time talking about being her opposite if they didn't have a daughter that he liked to dance with. 

The wedding picture they showed of them....wow, he was pretty handsome and she almost looked plain in comparison. Of course, that was just one shot taken at just one moment. 

Medellin sure has come a long way. From one of the most violent cities in the world to medical tourism mecca. I'll still keep my distance, though.

[Kohola3]

Seattle to Poland - what the heck is a 26 year old athlete doing complaining about one flight of stairs.  Seriously dude?  And lose the man bun.

At least he didn't insist on "close to bars and restaurants".  Thought the place he chose was creepy.

Loved his friend.

[LittleIggy]

Poland: The HH came across as a nice guy. His friend was hot! The swans in the sea by the beach were gorgeous.

Edited January 29, 2019 by LittleIggy

[sempervivum]

Poland- There's a market for American football in Place-I-Never-Heard-Of, Poland? Huh. Also, I never really thought of Poland as having a coastline, so those sandy beach scenes were a surprise to me.

Both guys had such sunny personalities and positive attitudes that it was a pleasure to watch them; I also appreciated their Ebony and Ivory looks!

[doodlebug]

4 minutes ago, sempervivum said:

Poland- There's a market for American football in Place-I-Never-Heard-Of, Poland? Huh. Also, I never really thought of Poland as having a coastline, so those sandy beach scenes were a surprise to me.

Both guys had such sunny personalities and positive attitudes that it was a pleasure to watch them; I also appreciated their Ebony and Ivory looks!

I had no idea that American football was played professionally in Poland.  I've heard many times over the years how gorgeous Poland is, how good the food and how nice the people are.  This episode seemed to confirm that, that beach was lovely.  I liked the two friends, too, they seemed like nice guys.  Didn't love any of the places they looked at; they all had that communist era coldness to them, IMO and the one he chose with the narrow balcony that looked to be falling off the building seemed dangerous to me.

[Ohwell]

I liked the two bros in Poland.  Like others have said, I had no idea they played professional football in Poland.  I think the guy said he was the quarterback, then he said he was in charge of offense, and then towards the end, he said he was the coach.  He's really busy.  I kind of figured he'd take the cheaper second one.  Plus, he seemed to like that funky orange sofa/bed and I could definitely see him and his friend lounging there watching tv.  That balcony was so narrow that I doubt he'd be on it that much anyway, so I guess it doesn't matter if it slopes.    

I will say that, while the apartments looked communist era cold, they did look clean.  Well, except for the funky orange sofa.  

[proserpina65]

On ‎01‎/‎23‎/‎2019 at 12:42 PM, sempervivum said:

Colorado to Dublin- I loved the way they seamlessly went from 'our budget is $1700 at MOST' to 'oh, yay, the first place you show us is $2600, that's right on budget'!

She had some kind of combination baby voice and elderly valley girl affectations that bu-u-u-gged me. I also couldn't figure out if she was over-botoxed, or if she just had popeyes and invisible eyebrows. I felt sorry for her poor grizzled little husband. 

It was funny to see an episode where the European is a full foot taller than the Americans. It was also funny to see fake grass being used in green Ireland.

She was awful.  And I love the real estate agent telling them right away that $1700 was not going to cut it for what they wanted anywhere near city center.

[Mittengirl]

Loved the football players in Poland!  The friend (James?) looked absolutely terrified out on the sloping balcony, like he thought it was going to drop off the building any second.

At the end, when the HHer was ordering from a food truck, he seemed to be quite fluent in Polish.  I wonder if he has an ancestral connection to the country?

I knew Poland had shipyards, learned that when Lech Walesa came to fame, so obviously they are on the sea, but I too never thought of them as having beautiful beaches.  And large flocks of swans, apparently.  I am not sure I have ever seen so many wild swans in one place before.

[Pickles]

That sloping balcony on the Polish apartment  kind of freaked me out too. I was picturing it just coming away from the building, with the weight of people standing on it. I would not be going out there at all. Both guys were so pleasant and the friend was especially attractive.

[Dewey Decimate]

7 hours ago, Mittengirl said:

Loved the football players in Poland!  The friend (James?) looked absolutely terrified out on the sloping balcony, like he thought it was going to drop off the building any second.

At the end, when the HHer was ordering from a food truck, he seemed to be quite fluent in Polish.  I wonder if he has an ancestral connection to the country?

Those two were terrific! I have no idea if they swing that way or not, but they'd make an adorable couple.

Blonde guy did seem very comfortable with the language. He reminded me of my brother, and my family is Polish, so who knows? Not that I know a lick of the language, and hell, with HH typical lack of authenticity, perhaps he's already been living there for two years...

[Pickles]

I liked the Ohio woman moving to Milan and also her sister who helped with the house hunt. They were fun! Very likable. She picked the best place. I looked her up and she works for a deluxe eyewear company, hence the stylish sunglasses. Lol. 

[pep4]

Milan:  I would have preferred more realtor and less sisters, but I'm too snarky.  Anyone see the lady walking with a yellow left shoe and a green right one in a crowd shot?

 

Edit:  As a guy, I thoroughly enjoyed the Bocas del Toro, Panama episode.   Helloooooo Sam the friend.  Howyadoin!

Seriously, though, without knowing much about the area I'd have some concern about safety in smaller towns and rural areas, versus moving to one of the good neighborhoods in Panama City.  Hopefully not an issue in BDT.  Wikipedia says 136 inches of rain a year....

Edited January 30, 2019 by pep4

[LittleIggy]

47 minutes ago, Pickles said:

I liked the Ohio woman moving to Milan and also her sister who helped with the house hunt. They were fun! Very likable. She picked the best place. I looked her up and she works for a deluxe eyewear company, hence the stylish sunglasses. Lol. 

Ugh, I couldn’t stand either one of them, especially the older sister (how often did she think she would be jetting to Milan?). Their mugging for the camera made me ill. 🤢I would have picked the second place with the maid service. I liked the hideaway kitchen. 

[biakbiak]

You can tell that the oldest tells people that others are always telling her she looks like Anne Hathaway.

I found the older sister annoying but I thought that there personalities were super amped up because they were on tv.

[mojito]

Quote

I knew Poland had shipyards, learned that when Lech Walesa came to fame, so obviously they are on the sea, but I too never thought of them as having beautiful beaches.

I remember Lech circa 1980. 

What surprised me is when the narrator described the weather in Poland.  Balmy summers and mild winters. Something like that. Sounded like Poland was located a lot further south. Their coast shares the ocean with Sweden and Finland!

It's nice that athletes not good enough for the NFL can go elsewhere to play football professionally and at the same time, help promote and enhance the sport at the hosting country.

I thought the sisters were okay. The oldest one, besides lobbying for a room of her own, really wasn't as opinionated as I'd expected her to be considering how she described herself at the beginning. 

[tvrox]

I liked the Milan sister's haircut! But I thought her constant comments about needing a bedroom were silly. How much time is she really going to spend in Milan? The house hunter's dog was cute.

[Pickles]

The couple buying in Barcelona. The blonde guy was distracting because of his bad eye lift. He looked perpetually surprised. Of course, they went way, way over budget by $350k? Were they going to be living there full time or just part time?

[Kohola3]

1 minute ago, Pickles said:

Were they going to be living there full time or just part time?

Sounded like full time to me. 

Blond surprised guy was beyond tiresome.  How he doesn't end up being pitched off a balcony is a mystery to me.

[LittleIggy]

Barcelona: The cost of the renovations of the major reno place would have put their budget over $1 million, I’m sure. I wondered what they would be doing job-wise living in Spain.

[Chippings]

Just watched the Poland episode a day late --  Which was refreshing, because I've spent several hours this week reading about life in Poland during World War II.  Much nicer now, for sure.  But what I came away with was disappointment with the realtor -- -- If a client asks for one bedroom as his first priority, you'd think she could come up with something closer to that than two studios and a three-bedroom !!?   I've learned that the closer you are to the people's work (or the middle of town) the less space you get for the money (d'uh).  But there must be some more options than right in town and too small, or twenty minutes out and more space than he can possibly use ??   No one-bedroom places close to his price in the entire town?  Seemed very odd.  

(And I remind myself that when they started filming he already had a lease on the one he took. But, still.)  

[biakbiak]

Pro tip don’t buy or rent an apartment where people have felt the need to put up a banner to tell people to shut up.

[Mrs. Hanson]

12 hours ago, Kohola3 said:

Sounded like full time to me. 

Blond surprised guy was beyond tiresome.  How he doesn't end up being pitched off a balcony is a mystery to me.

He exhausted me about seven minutes into the episode.  Renovations in Spain?  Good luck with that buddy boy.  How do people get the money to drop $800,000 into a home in Spain?  Inheritance?  Shopping at Aldi?  The other guy was so mellow - when they made a joke about how they are so opposite.....yeah, well you are.  How you have put up with until now I am not sure.  So glad he talked him out of Choice #1.

[Ohwell]

Both of those Barcelona guys annoyed me with their constant back and forth yapping, but the dude in the blue shirt took the annoyance to another level.  The only thing I can say about this episode is that it was nice to see parts of Barcelona.

[sempervivum]

13 hours ago, Pickles said:

The couple buying in Barcelona. The blonde guy was distracting because of his bad eye lift. He looked perpetually surprised

I was also distracted by his (old school) metal braces. Apparently he's undergoing some sort of renovations himself. He and hubby seemed extremely prickly.

I missed the beginning, so have no idea what they did for a living in Pennsylvania. But again with the budget on a sliding scale- from $800K to $1.3M.

I personally would have gone with the first place- the tiles throughout were just gorgeous.

[TVForever]

17 minutes ago, sempervivum said:

I was also distracted by his (old school) metal braces. Apparently he's undergoing some sort of renovations himself. He and hubby seemed extremely prickly.

I missed the beginning, so have no idea what they did for a living in Pennsylvania. But again with the budget on a sliding scale- from $800K to $1.3M.

I personally would have gone with the first place- the tiles throughout were just gorgeous.

The quiet one was a psychologist, while the livewire "worked in leadership development" (he was no more specific than that). Must pay very well, though. No mention of how they were going to earn a living in Barcelona, or if they were retiring.

I liked the first place too, but I'm a fixer-upper fan myself. I can see where such a place would be a problem if you really don't want projects.

[ML89]

I wouldn't have paid 1.2 mil for that apartment, frankly. It was such a cut up mess of a place - it was really the first place renovated but with the spaces left the same. I didn't like any of them - I would have kept renting. At least they didn't take the third one, which was not worth the price either. I guess Barcelona has turned into the NYC/London/SF tier of pricing. 

[izabella]

I loved all the beautiful mosaic tile floors in those Barcelona homes!

[Kohola3]

6 hours ago, sempervivum said:

I personally would have gone with the first place- the tiles throughout were just gorgeous.

What was there was gorgeous but there were so many missing and broken pieces.  And the rotting window frames and holes in the wall - it was just a mess. If so much of that was old and original  you'd never be able to match any of it.  That was one huge money pit.

[LittleIggy]

Merida: I loved the first place but could understand the parents not wanting to have their bedroom in a separate building. One thought, they could have put their offices there and taken that bedroom in the main building. The boys could share the other space since the bed on the balcony wasn’t practical.

[biakbiak]

House one was so clearly an AirBnb so never a possibility. I have liked the past Merida episodes a lot more than this one I found them all blah.

[sempervivum]

Merida -They were desperate to have their kids 'learn about how other people live'. So instead of the first place, which looked to be in an actual lower middle class neighborhood, or the last place, which was on a public beach (there were lots of what looked like Mexicans there), they picked the giant American style place in what looked liked an isolated upper class neighborhood. And I assume the school the dad picked out previously was an international one, meaning not P.S. 100.

I admit I fell asleep before they made their choice, so maybe they ended up with some indication that they were actually mixing and mingling with the natives?

[LennieBriscoe]

Rome to the Amalfi Drive (a trip I've made): This dame is STUPID! OMG---she's an alleged "tour guide"** and thinks what is arguably the most famous drive in Europe must be a "bargain"  because it's south of Rome?!

And why not look only at 1-BR places?! Oh, I guess being a creative creator who creatively creates creativity, Stephanie can't understand the logic and arithmetic her friend tried to use with her.

Okay, she chose the 1-bedroom within walking distance to the beach. Damn lucky bee-yotch. 

** "There's the Pantheon. It's ancient. Now over here is...."

Edited February 2, 2019 by LennieBriscoe