House Hunters International - General Discussion

[doodlebug]

9 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

I liked the first place best. Shouldn’t a bedroom be darker since you sleep there? It always makes me go 🙄 when people act as if they have never heard of blinds or curtains.

I know!  Everyone seems to go on and on about wanting a bright bedroom with lots of 'natural light'.  Heck, I keep the shades drawn in mine about 90% of the time I'm in there.  What are these people planning to do in there that they need so much light?I can see wanting functional windows for fresh air, but a lot of light?  I don't think so.

[Mittengirl]

I have blackout blinds in my bedroom - no natural light for me.

Both guys in Poland spoke Polish at some point, which made me think that the friend also lives there.  

I wonder how many more American football players we will see house hunting in Poland?  

[kirklandia]

American football player moves to Poland - déjà vu all over again!

Two different episodes less than a month apart.  I preferred the earlier one in Gdynia. Those two handsome dudes doing yoga on the beach...

Edited March 3, 2019 by kirklandia

[SmithW6079]

I'm up as far as the woman moving to Italy and the football player in Poland.

The thing that bothered me about Italy was that it didn't seem like the realtor really treated the woman's disability as legitimate, especially when it came to the elevators. She was very nonchalant about the one building where the elevator wasn't working. I wanted one of them to ask how often it didn't work.

I didn't like the friend of the football player, especially after he jumped on the bed, but I agree that the friend must live in Poland too.

Edited March 3, 2019 by SmithW6079

[Mrs. Hanson]

Did anyone see the Queens to Iceland episode?  Nice lawyer with twin five year olds but she confused me and I have a lot of questions.  First off, can she legally work in Iceland?  Was there a dad around that she needed to get permission from to move to Iceland?  Her big push was Nature! Nature! Nature! and don't get me wrong, I have been jonesing to go to Iceland for a few years now, but if nature and more family time was her thing, why not move to a big piece of land in upstate New York?  Or (I am biased, I know) Minnesota?  $450,000 will get you A LOT here, my dear.

I am always a little eyeroll-y with "We need more family time" because to me, if you need to move to Iceland/Guam/Australia/Costa Rica to be together more, that is a big sign.

[MartyQui]

Re Cincinnati to Italy...I was just at a meeting where we were talking about CRPS, apparently it’s quite rare, and usually happens after a trauma and in a specific area so her case was a little odd.  There’s no established treatment (the people I was talking to are trying ketamine for it), but the pain is supposed to be excruciating...12 on a scale of 1-10.  As far as his accent, I have a good friend from Padua, right near Vicenza, and he speaks English with a British accent too.  He said that was the accent his teacher had, so that's what he learned.

[MerBearStare]

Totally agree with your whole post @Mrs. Hanson. I missed the first five minutes of the episode and thought they had covered all of your questions because I had the same questions, but apparently not. 

I've had friends (without kids) who have moved across the country because they've visited a place on vacation and they loved it. But the whole reason the loved it was because they were on vacation. Once they moved in and started their jobs, they were just as unhappy as they were in their old city because they fell back into the same habits as before. Point being, if she doesn't change her habits, she'll have just as much time, or lack there of, with her kids even if they are in Iceland.

Edited March 3, 2019 by MerBearStare

[Mrs. Hanson]

44 minutes ago, MerBearStare said:

Totally agree with your whole post @Mrs. Hanson. I missed the first five minutes of the episode and thought they had covered all of your questions because I had the same questions, but apparently not. 

I've had friends (without kids) who have moved across the country because they've visited a place on vacation and they loved it. But the whole reason the loved it was because they were on vacation. Once they moved in and started their jobs, they were just as unhappy as they were in their old city because they fell back into the same habits as before. Point being, if she doesn't change her habits, she'll have just as much time, or lack there of, with her kids even if they are in Iceland.

Wish I could help you - she never addressed if she was divorced, widowed, never married and used a donor, adopted as a single woman - nor does she have to disclose that.  I was just curious of the logistics.   She never revealed if she was working remotely from Iceland and securing a US income or working at an Iceland law firm.  Geez, I must be annoying to watch HHI with as I ask all these questions!

Do the kids go to an American school?  Are they taught in Icelandic or English?  Questions questions questions......

[biakbiak]

6 minutes ago, Mrs. Hanson said:

Wish I could help you - she never addressed if she was divorced, widowed, never married and used a donor, adopted as a single woman - nor does she have to disclose that.  I was just curious of the logistics.   She never revealed if she was working remotely from Iceland and securing a US income or working at an Iceland law firm.  Geez, I must be annoying to watch HHI with as I ask all these questions!

Do the kids go to an American school?  Are they taught in Icelandic or English?  Questions questions questions......

At one point she said that the apartment was just a crash pad so I don’t think she moved there full time.

[Koalagirl]

On 2/28/2019 at 2:43 PM, proserpina65 said:

I found his talking about how a 30 minute commute was SOOOOOOOOOOOO long really annoying.  I used to drive an hour each way to Towson, Maryland - using the Beltway, no less - shut up, you whiner.

I commute two hours each way to work so I have no sympathy for someone who whines about 30 minutes.

[Bronx Babe]

The producer-driven scripts about "long" distances are always ridiculous.

I remember one episode in Provence where the husband said that a 20 minute round trip commute into town might be a deal breaker, lol.

[buttersister]

Ha, I remember that. The line by various husbands about moving to spend more time as a family and doesn’t wife want him home earlier or home for lunch makes me laugh. Every. Single. Time. Because, no.

[chessiegal]

Someone yesterday was complaining about a 25 minute commute. It takes me that long to get to Whole Foods.

[Mrs. Hanson]

13 hours ago, biakbiak said:

At one point she said that the apartment was just a crash pad so I don’t think she moved there full time.

I missed that, and I believe you, and now all I can think is "Dang, I wish I had almost half a million on a crash pad."  Rich people problems, right?

[LittleIggy]

Sweden: Someone tell the producers that Vikings weren’t Germanic. 🙄 The whole “Modern Viking life” theme was silly. The wallpapers in the house they picked were ugly. Ragnar Lothbrok would not approve.

[mojito]

Sweden:

Did the couple ever say what a "Modern Viking" apartment was supposed to look like?

His bit about being a Viking, living the Viking values. And her constant mention of being near "the nature". Tiresome. She had three dogs in a one bedroom apartment before he moved in with his dog? Imagine the cleanup needed before that place could be rented again.

This seemed to be an ordinary couple that HHI was desperately trying to add some quirkiness to.

[buttersister]

The Vikings. Cosplay? Viking rooms? Do all Viking homes have recliners for watching TV! Did he move to Sweden to get out of his parents’ basement?

Hey, at least they didn’t snipe, sneer and disrespect each other like some HH couples we could mention.

[biakbiak]

3 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

Someone tell the producers that Vikings weren’t Germanic

The only thing described as Germanic were runes which is correct they are written symbols of Germanic languages that were also used by the Norse and Vikings. He also mentioned he wanted to go to Germany to get bratwurst.

Edited March 5, 2019 by biakbiak

[Kohola3]

So modern-day Vikings can't climb stairs to their indoor bathroom?  And what was remotely "Viking" about the Viking room?  Wow, HHI is really scraping the bottom of the barrel.

[LittleIggy]

9 hours ago, biakbiak said:

The only thing described as Germanic were runes which is correct they are written symbols of Germanic languages that were also used by the Norse and Vikings. He also mentioned he wanted to go to Germany to get bratwurst.

Wrong. Germanic was also used in the explanation of “mead hall” in a caption on screen.

[Bronx Babe]

Just what exactly is the "Viking lifestyle"??

[biakbiak]

2 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

Wrong. Germanic was also used in the explanation of “mead hall” in a caption on screen.

Which also has Germanic roots and the caption was Germanic Europe which includes Sweden so not inaccurate.

Edited March 5, 2019 by biakbiak

[StatisticalOutlier]

On 3/3/2019 at 4:41 PM, biakbiak said:

At one point she said that the apartment was just a crash pad so I don’t think she moved there full time.

I didn't hear crash pad, but I definitely had the impression that she wasn't moving there full-time. And the narrator said it was "only" a five-hour flight, which implies back-and-forth and not a permanent move.

[chessiegal]

21 minutes ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

I didn't hear crash pad,

She definitely said crash pad. She wanted a place to take her kids away from busy NYC.

[SmithW6079]

2 hours ago, Bronx Babe said:

Just what exactly is the "Viking lifestyle"??

Conquering, raping, and pillaging, mostly, I assume. 😁

[Kohola3]

34 minutes ago, SmithW6079 said:

Conquering, raping, and pillaging, mostly, I assume. 😁

As long as it includes two bathrooms, a media room, and a short commute.

[pep4]

Munich:  "I know it is really, really expensive, but I wish he wouldn't think about that."

What a great recipe for financial success...

The full netting for the small balcony of the 2nd apartment was a little weird.  I mean I guess it would protect you from a foul ball, but baseball doesn't seem to be a big sport in Germany.

[LittleIggy]

12 hours ago, Bronx Babe said:

Just what exactly is the "Viking lifestyle"??

Ever watch the TV series “Vikings”? 😏

Patagonia: What a gorgeous part of the world. I liked all of the houses. The first one was spectacular.

[biakbiak]

I get that Patagonia is remote and that Bellingham has grown since my childhood visting family on a regular basis but given it still hasn’t even cracked the top ten of most populace cities in Washington state I can’t stop laughing at needing to escape the “hustle and bustle of Bellingham” as a reason to move halfway across the world. And according to Wikipedia Bariloche has more than 20k more people than Bellingham. It’s gorgeous just stick with that reason! 

I wonder if the first one is on air bnb that would be a great place to visit with a group of friends.

Edited March 6, 2019 by biakbiak

[biakbiak]

5 hours ago, pep4 said:

full netting for the small balcony of the 2nd apartment was a little weird

Given the noise and they were right across from the Isar I imagine birds can be an issue with the balcony.

[mojito]

Patagonia:

The first place screamed "B&B".

The third place, the old place. The husband walks into this 50-year old kitchen in Argentina and declares that he can't cook Argentinian food there, because, I guess, the kitchen had previously been a McDonald's restaurant and after all these years it's ruined.

It's a shame that the US enforces such strict laws mandating that families engage in multiple extracurricular activities. You can't blame people for moving to foreign places where you have the choice to opt out and you can be sure that your kids will no longer want to spend their free time with other kids participating in fun things outside the home.

[Stoshie]

On 3/1/2019 at 1:55 PM, Pickles said:

Watching the Australian episode now. Wow, I really dislike the wife. Complaining about the small ovens, lack of counter space, too far from the beach. Gotta love the agent, though. When the wife complained again about the small ovens, she agent said, yes these are standard size for Australia as we have already discussed!  LOL. Good for her. No one cares that the wife was a swimmer in college and loves the water. College was probably 15 years ago for this chick. She seemed dim. Did not know what a wardrobe was. So, like a wuss, the husband went with the house close to the beach and he will have a 45 minute commute to work. On a shallow note, the wife needed some braces for her picket fence teeth. 

Yes, and she also looked like a man. I'm sorry, I couldn't stop seeing it every time I looked at her. 

[Bronx Babe]

11 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

Ever watch the TV series “Vikings”? 😏

Patagonia: What a gorgeous part of the world. I liked all of the houses. The first one was spectacular.

Have not seen it but will never forget the 1958 movie "The Vikings" with Kirk Douglas, Tony Curtis, Ernest Borgnine and Janet Leigh, especially that creepy scene where the old witch is intoning "Odin! Odin!"

[Christine]

I currently work in Bellingham (live in Blaine) and the hustle and bustle comment (repeatedly) was uproarious.  Moved here 12+ years ago from Northern California; we always laugh when we hear people complain about the traffic.  Just scored tix for an upcoming Death Cab for Cutie and ODESZA concert in Bellingham - now that might provide some traffic/hustle bustle.

Edited to provide link to article in the local newspaper: https://www.bellinghamherald.com/news/local/article226763139.html

Edited March 6, 2019 by Christine

[LittleIggy]

2 hours ago, Christine said:

I currently work in Bellingham (live in Blaine) and the hustle and bustle comment (repeatedly) was uproarious.  Moved here 12+ years ago from Northern California; we always laugh when we hear people complain about the traffic.  Just scored tix for an upcoming Death Cab for Cutie and ODESZA concert in Bellingham - now that might provide some traffic/hustle bustle.

Edited to provide link to article in the local newspaper: https://www.bellinghamherald.com/news/local/article226763139.html

Thanks for the link. The “City of Subdued Excitement”? 😆

[LittleIggy]

Florence: OMG, the husband’s purple shirt and orange slacks! 🤭 And the hair. 😏 Wife needs to stay out of the sun to avoid further damage. Except for the back patio view, I didn’t like the place they picked. 

[buttersister]

Florence. Did he get paid every time he kvetched about the lack of high ceilings and CHARM? Because then no wonder they can get a $1M second home in Florence. Her “all hell is breaking loose” reaction to her daughter’s sleepover lacked CHARM, too. What a pair! I predict a grande lotta wine will be consumed on that balcony. Bravo, Senor Realtor.

[debbie311]

Bellingham to Patagonia.  It was your choice to involve your kids in so many activities that you didn't have family time.  You had to move to a foreign country so that you could spend more time with your kids?  Wonder what the back story is here.  What sort of job does she have that she can work so remotely?  He has apparently burned out on his job so he will now be the house husband, although I got the feeling that she would be the bread winner and still  be the parent in charge.  He came across as a flake to me.

[Christine]

13 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

Thanks for the link. The “City of Subdued Excitement”? 😆

Link to great video about B'ham: 

5 hours ago, debbie311 said:

Bellingham to Patagonia.  It was your choice to involve your kids in so many activities that you didn't have family time.  You had to move to a foreign country so that you could spend more time with your kids?  Wonder what the back story is here.  What sort of job does she have that she can work so remotely?  He has apparently burned out on his job so he will now be the house husband, although I got the feeling that she would be the bread winner and still  be the parent in charge.  He came across as a flake to me.

She was a director of HR for a local brewery.  They only lived there for a year and already back in town.

[chessiegal]

We were in Florence 2 years ago. The apartment they bought was very close to the hotel we stayed in. Lovely part of the city.

[Pickles]

8 hours ago, debbie311 said:

Bellingham to Patagonia.  It was your choice to involve your kids in so many activities that you didn't have family time.  You had to move to a foreign country so that you could spend more time with your kids?  Wonder what the back story is here.  What sort of job does she have that she can work so remotely?  He has apparently burned out on his job so he will now be the house husband, although I got the feeling that she would be the bread winner and still  be the parent in charge.  He came across as a flake to me.

There are some articles online about this couple. He was doing an online masters during their year in Patagonia. Think he works at Boeing. 

[Christine]

Just returned from 4 weeks in Italy, one week of that in Florence, my absolute favorite Italian city.

That couple - SMH.  Loved the Italian realtor scratching his chin when the long haired dude complained about noise.  It's Italy!  Noise happens.  Would've been a travesty had they renovated that pink/purple bathroom, would've removed every scintilla of that charm that they seek.  If you can find a bathroom with a tub, get it.

The remark "oh, is that where they hand-dye the paper?"  There are shops all over Florence that do this, not just that one shop which leads one to believe it's the only shop.  Favorite is Guilio Gianinni e Figlio, right across from the Pitti Palace that the wife seemed to love so.  Except it's really "e Figlia" nowadays, as a woman runs the joint, Maria who has designed some bottles for S'well.

Relatives in Rome took us out for dinner 2x, 8:00 PM reservations at typical Roman restaurants, i.e., no tourists.  The restaurants were deserted until about 9:00 when all hell broke loose.  Loved it - noise and all.

Basta.

[StatisticalOutlier]

On 3/6/2019 at 8:07 AM, mojito said:

It's a shame that the US enforces such strict laws mandating that families engage in multiple extracurricular activities. You can't blame people for moving to foreign places where you have the choice to opt out and you can be sure that your kids will no longer want to spend their free time with other kids participating in fun things outside the home.

Fortunately, the U.S. apparently now has laws exempting tiny house dwellers from the laws that normally interfere with family closeness.  So moving to a foreign land is no longer their only option.

[buttersister]

Bangkok. Listened to the wife for ten seconds, predicted they'd end up in a gated community and switched channels until the ending. Shockeroo, big white house in a gated community! And they just love it there! Ha. I noticed their Thai food exploration consisted of a cooking class in a very western looking kitchen. Not, you know, at a Thai storefront or market or, well, what a waste. 

[Pickles]

The Austin to Bangkok wife was distracting with her visible concealer under her eyes. Was that what it was? I couldn’t figure out if she had plastic surgery under her eyes or just a too light shade of makeup.

[twinks]

I found the wife so annoying. She complained about nearly everything. Too small, too big, too dark...ugly tile, the kids, the kids! They were an odd bunch!

[LittleIggy]

Bangkok: The wife complained about everything. One place the bedrooms were too small. Another place they were too big. I couldn’t figure out what was wrong with the bathroom she said she didn’t like. My favorite place was the Thai villa with the pool. 

5 minutes ago, twinks said:

I found the wife so annoying. She complained about nearly everything. Too small, too big, too dark...ugly tile, the kids, the kids! They were an odd bunch!

I like the way you think! 😁

[biakbiak]

You couldn’t pay me to live in Bangkok. Thailand for sure but Bangkok is so crazy intense add in the pollution (absolutely awful in the first few months of this year), horrific traffic than can make it hours to get anywhere, and just the amount of people. 

3 hours ago, buttersister said:

Not, you know, at a Thai storefront or market or, well, what a waste. 

The also had a segment touring a market and learning about various vegetables and went to a few food stalls. 

Was there a misunderstanding between the father and son because he is way too old to not know what the word commute means.

Edited March 8, 2019 by biakbiak

[StatisticalOutlier]

10 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

My favorite place was the Thai villa with the pool.

I loved that pool, but because I think they're pretty.  The woman said her daughter would love it because she's a swimmer.  That was not a pool for swimming, unless Nascar swimming is now a thing.

.

8 hours ago, biakbiak said:

Was there a misunderstanding between the father and son because he is way too old to not know what the word commute means.

That boy seemed off to me.

[eel2178]

19 hours ago, twinks said:

I found the wife so annoying. She complained about nearly everything. Too small, too big, too dark...ugly tile, the kids, the kids! They were an odd bunch!

How many times did she whine that she didn't think the kids would be able to adjust? If her kids are already that inflexible, why did they decide to move to a foreign country? On the same note, why did they chose Thailand when she insisted on a Western kitchen and bathroom? There are plenty of other countries  they could have gone to that wouldn't have required that kind of "adjustment."