House Hunters International - General Discussion

[Pickles]

8 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

Krakow: Once again, an American family has to move to abroad to “slow down” and become “closer as a family.” Yeah, they have laws against that in the US. 🙄 The wife must have a good job to have a housing budget like that.

I looked the wife up. She works for Kimberly Clark.  I guess the husband would be staying home with the kids? Was anything mentioned about his job? The house they chose---that marble in the bathroom. Yikes. 

[sempervivum]

3 hours ago, Pickles said:

I looked the wife up. She works for Kimberly Clark.  I guess the husband would be staying home with the kids? Was anything mentioned about his job? The house they chose---that marble in the bathroom. Yikes. 

There was no indication that the wife spoke Polish, so I don't understand what possible use she'd be in an HR position in Krakow, unless Kimberly Clark has imported thousands of US employees there to work? 

They didn't say what the husband did. Good thing he was up for the house husband job-4 kids to care for, including (I think) a Down's kid, the daughter.

That zebra striped marble made me dizzy even seeing it via TV screen!

[MartyQui]

Yes, the daughter definitely had Down's and it looked like she has a cochlear implant too.  Good for Dad for being the stay at home, he looked like he was into it.  I would have picked the country house, but I can see not wanted to be so far away from everything.  I liked this family!

[LittleIggy]

Krakow: That bathroom did look as if a zebra had exploded in it.  😆

[mojito]

Malaysia

Wife used not knowing what she was going to have for lunch as an example of her ability to be spontaneous. 😗 She was another mother who fretted about the adjustment for her kids. Kids their ages merely need to figure out the lay of the land and they’re there. You’re only speaking for yourself, Mom. She did a better job than most verbalizing wanting to reside in the familiar while being in an unfamiliar locale. She was okay, though, and I share her sentiment about retaining some American standards in my living space.

Left to his own devices, Dad would raise some exceptionally versatile kids (provided they survived the peeling paint of the place he favored). They’re still getting great exposure though, if, that is, they stay abroad  long enough for those very young kids to remember the experience.

[LittleIggy]

Malaysia: If you want your kids to be immersed in Mandarin, shouldn’t you move to, I don’t know, China? 

I would want the place where I could 🐒 watch! 

[mojito]

Quote

Malaysia: If you want your kids to be immersed in Mandarin, shouldn’t you move to, I don’t know, China? 

This couple couldn't afford Hong Kong or Taiwan, and I doubt they'd want to live in the People's Republic of China (by this I mean the mainland as I believe Taiwan is also part of the PPC) if they could emigrate  there at all.  If they could, they'd probably be in or near a large city, in which case, there's the air quality to consider. 

Plenty of people in Malaysia speak Mandarin so I guess it would be a decent place to learn the language. It would certainly be an easier place to live. 

Chicago to Playa del Carmen

I kinda liked this guy and the tight reign he seemed to keep on his backstory. What he told us was believable and complete enough: works a very busy, stressful job, has a friend in Mexico whom he expects to spend a lot of time with (he's her child's godfather), and hopes to have his young nieces and nephews visit. That's pretty much all we got. No mention of friends visiting, no hobbies or interests. Nothing. I appreciated the mystery. 

I didn't think he was very demanding and he was a pleasant enough guy. Hope the construction nearby quiets down within the year; this seemed to be the best spot.

[LittleIggy]

Malaysia: Looks as if English would be the lingua franca of the complex they moved into since there were so many multinational expats. Plus, not all Chinese in Penang speak Mandarin.

[MartyQui]

6 hours ago, mojito said:

Chicago to Playa del Carmen

I don’t understand why someone with a job like his (not a travel blogger or a stay at home dad or a wanna be actor) would agree to be on a show like this? I mean, I have a job somewhat similar to his (but I’m not a CEO, haha) and I can’t imagine making my search for a vacation home public.

[LittleIggy]

Playa del Carmen: The friend never mentioned a husband or SO, did she?

[doodlebug]

Iowa to Sydney.  She needs to run very far, very fast.  They've been together 7 years and he isn't ready to marry her?  He insisted on the city apartment because it had the shortest commute for him despite the fact that it was a dump.  Tiny, dirty, awful.  And it looked like her 'study space' in their sole bedroom was going to be a card table in the closet/nook.  How exactly are they going to spend so much more time together because his commute is so short when hers was going to be an hour and a half a day?  Sure, he might be home more, but she'd be there less.  The realtor nailed it when she noted that he was going to hate every apartment that wasn't in the city near his job.  His over the top raving about the wonders of the city apartment ,were ridiculous. The living room furnishings consisted of a single piece of a  massive sectional, no other seating, no end tables, no lamps and no room to add them..  No dining table, breakfast bar, or other flat surface and no room for them anyway.  A kitchen and bathroom so small that  even one person would have to move sideways in them.  And, the piece de resistance, that amazing outdoor space that looked to be a concrete pad about the size of a two car garage surrounded by a chain link fence with fabulous views of nothing but the brick walls of other ugly buildings that they would be sharing with tenants from 7 other apartments.  I was so sorry to see that they adopted a dog who was undoubtedly home alone in that cracker box most of the time.  Yikes!

[Booklady1017]

On 5/9/2019 at 11:41 AM, mojito said:

This couple couldn't afford Hong Kong or Taiwan, and I doubt they'd want to live in the People's Republic of China (by this I mean the mainland as I believe Taiwan is also part of the PPC) if they could emigrate  there at all.  If they could, they'd probably be in or near a large city, in which case, there's the air quality to consider. 

Plenty of people in Malaysia speak Mandarin so I guess it would be a decent place to learn the language. It would certainly be an easier place to live. 

Chicago to Playa del Carmen

I kinda liked this guy and the tight reign he seemed to keep on his backstory. What he told us was believable and complete enough: works a very busy, stressful job, has a friend in Mexico whom he expects to spend a lot of time with (he's her child's godfather), and hopes to have his young nieces and nephews visit. That's pretty much all we got. No mention of friends visiting, no hobbies or interests. Nothing. I appreciated the mystery. 

I didn't think he was very demanding and he was a pleasant enough guy. Hope the construction nearby quiets down within the year; this seemed to be the best spot.

I had no problem with the house hunter from Chicago in Playa del Carmen, but I found his Mexican friend to be extremely annoying. 

13 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

Playa del Carmen: The friend never mentioned a husband or SO, did she?

I don't think she is married. I never saw a husband. 

[Booklady1017]

9 hours ago, doodlebug said:

Iowa to Sydney.  She needs to run very far, very fast.  They've been together 7 years and he isn't ready to marry her?  He insisted on the city apartment because it had the shortest commute for him despite the fact that it was a dump.  Tiny, dirty, awful.  And it looked like her 'study space' in their sole bedroom was going to be a card table in the closet/nook.  How exactly are they going to spend so much more time together because his commute is so short when hers was going to be an hour and a half a day?  Sure, he might be home more, but she'd be there less.  The realtor nailed it when she noted that he was going to hate every apartment that wasn't in the city near his job.  His over the top raving about the wonders of the city apartment ,were ridiculous. The living room furnishings consisted of a single piece of a  massive sectional, no other seating, no end tables, no lamps and no room to add them..  No dining table, breakfast bar, or other flat surface and no room for them anyway.  A kitchen and bathroom so small that  even one person would have to move sideways in them.  And, the piece de resistance, that amazing outdoor space that looked to be a concrete pad about the size of a two car garage surrounded by a chain link fence with fabulous views of nothing but the brick walls of other ugly buildings that they would be sharing with tenants from 7 other apartments.  I was so sorry to see that they adopted a dog who was undoubtedly home alone in that cracker box most of the time.  Yikes!

Yeah that guy was not any sort of catch. The female HH could do so much better. She shouldn't have to settle for him or for that apartment. I totally agree that it was tiny, dirty and a dump. Yes, he'd be home more and even if she didn't go to school every day, she'd be away more than he was there.

[mojito]

Des Moines to Sidney

If she picked that dump just to satisfy him, she deserves to be stuck with him. As for marriage....I don't think that would be much of an end game for either of them, so it's just as well they're not.

When he said something like he works for an alcohol distribution company, I immediately thought, "You drive a Budweiser truck."

[LittleIggy]

20 hours ago, doodlebug said:

Iowa to Sydney.  She needs to run very far, very fast.  They've been together 7 years and he isn't ready to marry her?  He insisted on the city apartment because it had the shortest commute for him despite the fact that it was a dump.  Tiny, dirty, awful.  And it looked like her 'study space' in their sole bedroom was going to be a card table in the closet/nook.  How exactly are they going to spend so much more time together because his commute is so short when hers was going to be an hour and a half a day?  Sure, he might be home more, but she'd be there less.  The realtor nailed it when she noted that he was going to hate every apartment that wasn't in the city near his job.  His over the top raving about the wonders of the city apartment ,were ridiculous. The living room furnishings consisted of a single piece of a  massive sectional, no other seating, no end tables, no lamps and no room to add them..  No dining table, breakfast bar, or other flat surface and no room for them anyway.  A kitchen and bathroom so small that  even one person would have to move sideways in them.  And, the piece de resistance, that amazing outdoor space that looked to be a concrete pad about the size of a two car garage surrounded by a chain link fence with fabulous views of nothing but the brick walls of other ugly buildings that they would be sharing with tenants from 7 other apartments.  I was so sorry to see that they adopted a dog who was undoubtedly home alone in that cracker box most of the time.  Yikes!

That place was an absolute dump, wasn’t it?  She needs to meet a cute Aussie lad on that long train ride and leave that selfish jerk (take thedog, too).  BTW, why move all the way to OZ for an MBA? There are plenty of programs here in the US. 

Loved the realtor. She had them pegged! 😆

Edited May 11, 2019 by LittleIggy

[doodlebug]

17 hours ago, mojito said:

Des Moines to Sidney

If she picked that dump just to satisfy him, she deserves to be stuck with him. As for marriage....I don't think that would be much of an end game for either of them, so it's just as well they're not.

When the realtor asked them if they were going to get married, the woman said that it wasn't up to her which I took to mean she was amenable to it but he wasn't.  And, yes, anyone who would move halfway around the world to live in a hovel with that guy deserves what they get.

[Booklady1017]

20 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

That place was an absolute dump, wasn’t it?  She needs to meet a cute Aussie lad on that long train ride and leave that selfish jerk (take thedog, too).  BTW, why move all the way to OZ for an MBA? There are plenty of programs here in the US. 

Loved the realtor. She had them pegged! 😆

I love how blunt those Aussies are.

[LittleIggy]

12 hours ago, doodlebug said:

When the realtor asked them if they were going to get married, the woman said that it wasn't up to her which I took to mean she was amenable to it but he wasn't.  And, yes, anyone who would move halfway around the world to live in a hovel with that guy deserves what they get.

When they nixed the really nice place that was in the middle on commuting for both, I knew they would end up in the dump. No way in hell would I rent that rat hole. Cut back to save the extra $100 for the other place. BTW, why is someone getting an MBA still with a guy who drives a delivery truck (nothing against the job)?

[LittleIggy]

Finally a new episode! And it’s a Richard episode! The dogs were so adorable. They loved their garden! Those guys were expecting a lot for their limited for London budget.

[Pickles]

The London episode. I really, really disliked the dark haired guy. He had so many demands and seemed like an unpleasant person. Maybe some of that was just for the show, but did not like him. The dogs were cute, but seemed a bit annoying to me. Lol. The barking, etc. I am not a dog person. I was wondering how the dogs felt about having to don ridiculous outfits and pose for pictures. I guess they were the bread winners in the family for the couple. Good grief.

[doodlebug]

11 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

Finally a new episode! And it’s a Richard episode! The dogs were so adorable. They loved their garden! Those guys were expecting a lot for their limited for London budget.

Loved the dogs, thought their parents were far too whiny,  They didn't seem like they'd be much fun to be around; they both seemed to be complainers.

Always a pleasure to have Richard on my TV.

[Chippings]

I second that emotion.  Always a pleasure also to see London.  The humans were whiny indeed, but more particularly Sebastian, the dark-haired one.  You'd have thought that coming from New York they'd have an idea of very high rents and small spaces, but they whined big-time about both.  I wonder what palatial digs they'd had in NYC, with a 'music studio', and to accommodate two dogs, for $1700?    

[sempervivum]

Sebastian came across as an arrogant dolt. I guess he was the wage-earner, with his music production, or whatever it was? 

Another couple who (apparently) haven't researched real estate prices in London-I was actually amazed at what they were offered for +/- $2K. The place they picked was very nice for a below-ground apartment, although it probably won't seem that great during a long gloomy winter. I couldn't believe that big garden was all for their use- lucky, lucky dogs.

[TVForever]

Yeah, my daughter and I watched this London episode and came to the conclusion that Sebastian was one of the biggest sourpusses we've ever seen. The apartments were interesting though, and the one they chose was definitely my favorite of the three. My least favorite was that Blah Bland Box in the east end. I would have expected something a little "funkier" for the location.

[Booklady1017]

21 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

Finally a new episode! And it’s a Richard episode! The dogs were so adorable. They loved their garden! Those guys were expecting a lot for their limited for London budget.

I felt like maybe Andre could have made some accommodations but Sebastian seemed very rigid and difficult. I can’t see what Andre sees in him.

The dogs were cute and it was nice to see Richard again.

12 hours ago, Pickles said:

The London episode. I really, really disliked the dark haired guy. He had so many demands and seemed like an unpleasant person. Maybe some of that was just for the show, but did not like him. The dogs were cute, but seemed a bit annoying to me. Lol. The barking, etc. I am not a dog person. I was wondering how the dogs felt about having to don ridiculous outfits and pose for pictures. I guess they were the bread winners in the family for the couple. Good grief.

They were cute but the barking was distracting me.

[Booklady1017]

5 hours ago, TVForever said:

Yeah, my daughter and I watched this London episode and came to the conclusion that Sebastian was one of the biggest sourpusses we've ever seen. The apartments were interesting though, and the one they chose was definitely my favorite of the three. My least favorite was that Blah Bland Box in the east end. I would have expected something a little "funkier" for the location.

That was my favorite of the 3 too. I bet Sebastian is really unpleasant to live with.

[debraran]

Little youtube video on how fake the shows are on HGTV but I doubt most don't know that from the beginning. It never made sense.

[Kohola3]

Ugh - it's not pronounced real-a-tor.  Drives me nuts when they say that.

[Ohwell]

Actually, I'm surprised that the producers don't make the participants sign NDAs.

[debraran]

4 hours ago, Ohwell said:

Actually, I'm surprised that the producers don't make the participants sign NDAs.

Maybe some do. The first one I saw on how the show was made was HHI England, she has a youtube and it's long but very informative. I like the England ones so I was interested. They get paid little and without them, there wouldn't be a show, so maybe they loosely enforce any disclosures.

[LittleIggy]

On 5/17/2019 at 9:55 PM, Booklady1017 said:

That was my favorite of the 3 too. I bet Sebastian is really unpleasant to live with.

He’s unpleasant to look at too. 😏

[Booklady1017]

20 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

He’s unpleasant to look at too. 😏

I hate to say it, but I agree 😲

[Pickles]

The Australian episode last night. The couple were moving to the husband's native country, after living in Canada. Well, I looked the wife up and she has been living and working in Australia for the past five years. I thought she had a trace of an accent, but wondered if it was just from being married to an Australian. Apparently not. Funny how she talked like they were just moving there and she wouldn't be working right away and how she had just left a job that she loved in Canada. All fiction.

[LittleIggy]

Amsterdam: Ugh, annoying hipsters! 🙄 Was that a bathroom on the stair landing in that “three bedroom” (more like one bedroom and a two stall stable) place?

[mojito]

Chicago to Amsterdam

Were these two for real? They struck me as being completely fake. She with her need for closets for all her hats, he with his need for a large 3-bedroom that "feels like Amsterdam"( yet he went crazy over a place that looked just as sterile as the others). Also, those hardwoods....I wondered if they were laminate. Of course, they thought their $1M budget should have gotten them more because, well, Amsterdam should be more appreciative of their investment. They're Americans after all. And they're so cool. 

[Pickles]

Chicago to Amsterdam. They were absolutely awful and ridiculous, yet felt they were fabulously special. I didn't pay attention to what they did for a living. Was it something in fashion, since she needed three closets just for her hats? 

[doodlebug]

11 minutes ago, Pickles said:

Chicago to Amsterdam. They were absolutely awful and ridiculous, yet felt they were fabulously special. I didn't pay attention to what they did for a living. Was it something in fashion, since she needed three closets just for her hats? 

They were a couple of pretentious fools, weren't they?  They certainly were impressed with themselves.  They said they'd already been living there for a year, their lack of knowledge of what housing in Amsterdam is like and what it costs means they were either oblivious or lying.

He is a commodities trader who works for a firm based in Chicago, so his income is probably pretty substantial.  She never mentioned what her occupation was, just that she always wanted to live in Europe and that they were planning to have kids soon.  And she needs to live in the center of the city because apparently there are no 'amenities' available anywhere else.

And, for someone who seems to think hats are her fashion trademark, she really seems to have a lot of them that are not flattering to her.

Edited May 23, 2019 by doodlebug

[Ohwell]

And the man bun Amsterdam hipster kept going on and on about having a family.  I can't imagine them being parents. 

[DanielleBowden]

The Amsterdam couple were working overtime trying to convince us of how fabulous they were.   

[Ohwell]

Not that it means anything, but were the Amsterdam couple married?  When they were walking down the street trying to look so cool, he was wearing a hipster scarf that looked like it might choke him, and she was wearing some big boots that looked like they might cause her to snap her ankles.  

[Pickles]

47 minutes ago, Ohwell said:

Not that it means anything, but were the Amsterdam couple married?  When they were walking down the street trying to look so cool, he was wearing a hipster scarf that looked like it might choke him, and she was wearing some big boots that looked like they might cause her to snap her ankles.  

I think they were wearing wedding rings.

[Ohwell]

5 minutes ago, Pickles said:

I think they were wearing wedding rings.

Ok, thanks.  

[sempervivum]

I would pay cash money to see Miss Chicago-to-Amsterdam with a snot-faced, squalling, poopy baby. As it is, I feel a bit sorry for their dress-up toy, er dog.

The man bun insisting that as a future 'family' they needed to take that stupid 3 bedroom place was crazy. It won't be safe for their future kids to climb those steep stairs until they're 6 or more. Where do they sleep in the meantime?

Oh, well, by the end, Li'l Miss Extra had convinced man bun that they could just 'live her best life' in the place they chose until they need something bigger (in the unlikely event that he actually manages to impregnate her).

[DanielleBowden]

1 hour ago, Ohwell said:

Not that it means anything, but were the Amsterdam couple married?  When they were walking down the street trying to look so cool, he was wearing a hipster scarf that looked like it might choke him, and she was wearing some big boots that looked like they might cause her to snap her ankles.  

I hated his belted  rose colored wool jacket and super skinny distressed jeans and THEN, they came out for the reveal in matching Canada Goose jackets. 

[LittleIggy]

Amsterdam: Someone tell Ms. Hipster that Diane Keaton did the hat thing much better and forty years ago. 😏

[Ohwell]

5 minutes ago, LittleIggy said:

Amsterdam: Someone tell Ms. Hipster that Diane Keaton did the hat thing much better and forty years ago. 😏

It looked to me like she was going for a mashup of Diane Keaton and Audrey Hepburn 40 years ago.  

I don't know WTF he was going for.

[doodlebug]

LA/France to Mexico.  I guess it’s a theme week on the show:  ‘Pretentious Twits Go International’.  These two were even worse than the Amsterdam couple.  In my experience, anyone who has to proclaim how creative they are in every other sentence is not that creative.

So, he’s a furniture maker who spends half his day doing yoga and meditating according to his wife while she makes jewelry at home and wants to teach others to be ‘creative’ just like her.  Yet, theyve  got 1500 bucks a month for a high end place. Clearly, there’s a trust fund involved here.

As for the apartments, I thought they were all very nice and also thought that, for a couple of so called ‘creative’ types, they sure spent a lot of time denigrating the aesthetics of traditional Mexican artisans.  I could tell by the way the hubby was pouting that he was going to win. He must be a real treat to live with.  At least they spend all their time together so as not to inflict themselves on others. 

With these sorts of Americans moving down there, Mexico might want to rethink its stance on the wall.

[Ohwell]

3 hours ago, doodlebug said:

LA/France to Mexico.  I guess it’s a theme week on the show:  ‘Pretentious Twits Go International’.  

Apparently it is.  I smelled "trust fund" on one or the other of them.  

I still think that the Amsterdam couple won the "pretentious hipster clothes" contest though. 😄

[Kohola3]

3 hours ago, doodlebug said:

 In my experience, anyone who has to proclaim how creative they are in every other sentence is not that creative.

Same thing with "fashion forward", "edgy", and "unique".  If they have to keep proclaiming it - they aren't.

[sempervivum]

LA to Mexico- What was I missing here? I swear the husband said they had rented a studio space, so why was wifey yammering on and on about how she needed a house that had lots of space for her 'crafting'? Is 'crafting' different than 'jewelry making', and why do you need a separate space for it?

Also, since she apparently has no intention of bearing his children, at least she's letting him have an apartment in town.