House Hunters International - General Discussion

[jcbrown]

3 hours ago, doodlebug said:

Is it just me or is the available housing in Australia/New Zealand kinda boring?  There is some beautiful scenery out there, but the homes have all the charm and character of cardboard shoeboxes.  My least favorite international househunts.

Not just you. I always skip the Australia and New Zealand ones.

[scrb]

Yeah they're not known for "character" -- I can't recall if they ever used that word in the Oz/NZ episodes.

They're functional and seem to be built well, to a high standard.

[Blue997]

4 hours ago, doodlebug said:

Is it just me or is the available housing in Australia/New Zealand kinda boring?  There is some beautiful scenery out there, but the homes have all the charm and character of cardboard shoeboxes.  My least favorite international househunts.

Agreed, I always skip them.  I also skip most of the Mexico and generic Caribbean episodes.  The homes just aren't very interesting.  The Australian/NZ episodes are even worse because they usually are insanely expensive!

[LittleIggy]

Buenos Aries: That first apartment was awesome. I couldn’t believe it was only $1000/month. Wonder where they are working.

[Kohola3]

9 minutes ago, LittleIggy said:

Buenos Aries: That first apartment was awesome. I couldn’t believe it was only $1000/month. Wonder where they are working.

They weren't working.  They were living on savings until they found jobs. I would have gone with the first one as well. That place they chose - ugh, it was like living in a concrete canyon.

[Irlandesa]

11 hours ago, doodlebug said:

Is it just me or is the available housing in Australia/New Zealand kinda boring?  There is some beautiful scenery out there, but the homes have all the charm and character of cardboard shoeboxes.  My least favorite international househunts.

I thought the houses in the most recent NZ episode were cute/had "charm." At least two of them.  They ended up choosing the most boring one but I liked the episode. 

I watch HHI for the scenery as much as for the housing so I will watch the NZ eps. I rarely watch the Australian episodes or Caribbean episodes unless the budget is high. 

On 7/26/2018 at 7:58 AM, Kohola3 said:

And, dare I say it, effeminate.

He was what made me wonder if they were Mormon.

[LittleIggy]

57 minutes ago, Kohola3 said:

They weren't working.  They were living on savings until they found jobs. I would have gone with the first one as well. That place they chose - ugh, it was like living in a concrete canyon.

She said at the very end that they had found jobs, then quit jobs, then found other jobs! I bet they are working at a language mill teaching English.

I have to admit that I wouldn’t have been comfortable with the cemetery views everywhere I looked!??

[Pickles]

The Buenos Aries couple was annoying. She was especially. They basically wanted to eat steak and drink wine. And he wanted to watch football on tv.  I liked the agent. I think he found them a little too entitled.

[doodlebug]

10 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

She said at the very end that they had found jobs, then quit jobs, then found other jobs! I bet they are working at a language mill teaching English.

I have to admit that I wouldn’t have been comfortable with the cemetery views everywhere I looked!??

I thought her reaction to the cemetery was childish; 'dead bodies watching me!  Eeeek!'  I also thought it looked like kind of a cool cemetery with some interesting old stones.  Of course, I kinda like to wander through cemeteries, I'm weird like that.  It was a very nice apartment and the cemetery wouldn't have bothered me a bit.  However, I did like the first place best.  I found her to be rather nasty about a lot of fairly trivial things.  And, God love poor Gordon, I hate to be superficial, but that guy was homely.

[Blue997]

Argentina: For having no jobs, they had a pretty high apartment budget. The apartments were really nice though! Did anyone else think there was a major attractiveness differential in that couple??

Her comment about needing a more "lively" neighborhood was hilarious!

Edited July 28, 2018 by Blue997

[LittleIggy]

I like to walk around old cemeteries. I just wouldn’t want to live near one!

Yeah, Gordon had been hit with the homely stick. He should have kept the beard.

[mojito]

Quote

I like to walk around old cemeteries. I just wouldn’t want to live near one!

I like walking around cemeteries, too, and overlooking one as that place did would've been fine with me. It would be quiet and then, for chuckles, you could look for nocturnal activity, take pics of all those floating orbs!

[TattleTeeny]

4 hours ago, doodlebug said:

I thought her reaction to the cemetery was childish; 'dead bodies watching me!  Eeeek!'  I also thought it looked like kind of a cool cemetery with some interesting old stones.  Of course, I kinda like to wander through cemeteries, I'm weird like that.  It was a very nice apartment and the cemetery wouldn't have bothered me a bit.  However, I did like the first place best.  I found her to be rather nasty about a lot of fairly trivial things.  And, God love poor Gordon, I hate to be superficial, but that guy was homely.

I never ever post in here but just had to today because that chick made me so mad with that shit, haha! While I admit to being a person who loves a good cemetery (none of those modern flat tombstones, thank you!) and have since we lived across from one (complete with creaky wrought iron gate!) when I was little, I find it crazy that that would bug someone. And that cemetery is ridiculously gorgeous and impressive. It's huge and full of mausoleums in various conditions. Evita Peron is in there! And tons of stray cats walk around in there among the tombs and trees. It's so great that, during a visit to it, a friend and I ditched our tour group so we could stay and wander around more. And the neighborhood is fabulous too. I wish I could snatch up that inexpensive apartment in that beautiful city!

Haha, sorry--just had to get all that out!

Edited July 28, 2018 by TattleTeeny

[Bastet]

Add me to the crowd annoyed by her - that was a beautiful view, a nice place all around, and a good neighborhood, and she was complaining about it out of some silly superstition.

[TattleTeeny]

Her superstition would, I think, cause them to have to turn down a lot of apartments in that neighborhood; it's so big that anything a few floors up probably has some kind of view of it.

[Kohola3]

53 minutes ago, Bastet said:

Add me to the crowd annoyed by her - that was a beautiful view, a nice place all around, and a good neighborhood, and she was complaining about it out of some silly superstition.

Good grief, you can't ask for quieter neighbors.  And no annoying lights shining in your windows all night long.  That was so stupid.

[biakbiak]

I absolutely hated the first apartment in BA the kitchen was way too large for the space and I say this as someone who loves to cook, the couch was craned in the corner and still took up way too much space.

Also; was he really bad at math, they lie about their budget or were the only planning on staying 5 months because he said they would save $1,000 over a year on the place they went with but it was $200 a month under so would have been $2400 in savings over the course of the year. 

He is someone who benefits from longer hair and facial hair because I initially thought she was way too hot for him but it sort of evened out when they showed pics of them when he has curly hair and a beard. 

[TattleTeeny]

I didn't love the first one but to get to live in that city, I'd be fine with whatever, haha!

[scrb]

Haven’t seen this Argentina ep. but it sounds like Recoleta cemetery.  That is suppose to be one of the most in demand areas in Buenos Aires.

[LittleIggy]

Costa Rica: Those little girls were cute. I’m surprised that the cost of living is higher in CR than in Shanghai. Wonder if an apartment was part of the compensation package in China.

[mojito]

The little girls really were sweet. More concerned with making new friends, it seemed, than having separate rooms. They even counted a gecko as their first friend. Nice family and surprisingly decent choices for close to their budget despite the agent's warning that their budget was low.

[morgan]

I almost deleted the Costa Rica episode because for some reason South American/Central American episodes tend to bore me.  I’m glad I didn’t.  What a delightful family!  The girls were adorable and the parents seemed to be fun and adventurous, with great attitudes.  What a life they are leading!  

[biakbiak]

4 hours ago, mojito said:

They even counted a gecko as their first friend.

I also liked when one of them said “I don’t know if my friends will speak English and I don’t speak Spanish yet,” they seemed to have a very good attitude.

[seacliffsal]

The Costa Rica episode: I was disappointed when the dad climbed into the wood table that was in the first apartment (the realtor even mentioned that the furniture was from Italy, so, very nice furniture).  But, ho, ho, ho, wasn't that funny?  No, it wasn't.  Then the wife said how the husband always made them laugh to which I silently responded 'it's not funny when you're potentially ruining someone else's furniture...'  I just don't get how the house hunters think it will endear them to the audience if they are disrespectful to someone else's property.  I include going into bathtubs with shoes one, the hard-jumping on beds, etc.  

[Jordan Schmitt]

I really enjoy the episodes where they are looking for Spanish style homes in Spain.

[LittleIggy]

I was surprised there wasn’t a model home to show the couple in Mexico. I think they made the best choice. Good things come to those who wait! 

[mojito]

British Columbia to Los Cerritos, the Baja

Though small, I thought the first home was the safest bet. With that location, you don't have to worry about tall buildings going up to block your view of the ocean. Not so with the other two locations. But for proximity to the water and a comfortable home, I think they chose well.  I think I would have preferred that the homes be of different colors, not just that marigold color.

[mojito]

NZ to Paris

So the woman moves to Paris to be a photographer. To me, that would indicate that she wants to photograph the city. So why the need for a studio? She's going to do portrait photography as well? Really? It's not like she's shooting film and needs space for a dark room. She just needs room for a laptop and maybe a couple extra large monitors to edit photos digitally. When I saw the neighborhood she ultimately picked, I immediately thought that it looked like it was the place to find: drugs, sex for sale, forged documents, sleeper cells, etc. The agent didn't want to say it, but it was looked pretty seedy.  To each her own.

[doodlebug]

3 hours ago, mojito said:

NZ to Paris

So the woman moves to Paris to be a photographer. To me, that would indicate that she wants to photograph the city. So why the need for a studio? She's going to do portrait photography as well? Really? It's not like she's shooting film and needs space for a dark room. She just needs room for a laptop and maybe a couple extra large monitors to edit photos digitally. When I saw the neighborhood she ultimately picked, I immediately thought that it looked like it was the place to find: drugs, sex for sale, forged documents, sleeper cells, etc. The agent didn't want to say it, but it was looked pretty seedy.  To each her own.

I love Adrienne the realtor, she of the chic beret and snarky eyerolls.  Since the 'househunt' is already over before the show is filmed, I wasn't surprised to hear she had decided to  sublet her friend's friend's apartment.  The neighborhood was certainly less than appealing, though.  I think the friend's constant insistence that she needed a studio for her photography was a storyline put in play by the producers because there was no other reason on earth to explain why she chose that apartment otherwise.  Therefore, when they looked for decoy apartments for the show, they found ones that didn't have enough space for a studio.  And, of course, the two of them pretending to be afraid to tell Adrienne, who wasn't their rental agent anyway, that she'd chosen that apartment that was hers even before they ever filmed, was just part of the con.  Obviously, Adrienne and everyone else working on the show knows the score well before filming.

I really liked both of the other apartments; they were cute and in really good areas of Paris.  How many people who already live in Paris are already out on the streets taking photos of the place?  It seems like there wouldn't be much of a market for a recently arriving New Zealander to take pictures of the city for pay, but maybe there is.

Edited August 3, 2018 by doodlebug

[sempervivum]

NZ to Paris- I fell asleep before they made a decision, but not surprised to hear they/er, I mean 'she'/ took the one in the scary-looking neighborhood. It looked really spacious because it was EMPTY, girls. 

I also wondered how anyone newly arrived could make any kind of a living as a photographer there.  She was a cute, positive kind of person (especially compared to her bossy friend), but her weird high-water jeans were totally distracting to me. Is that some kind of Continental fashion?

[Kohola3]

29 minutes ago, sempervivum said:

I also wondered how anyone newly arrived could make any kind of a living as a photographer there. 

Or anywhere, especially in an old city.  The fake shots she was taking seemed to be your standard tourist type shots unless she adds some sort of special effects.  And, unless she does portrait photography there is no need for a studio.  The place she picked has windows but, again, unless she's got a bunch of props set away somewhere it wasn't really set up for portrait work.  

I think the whole thing was a load of baloney.

[Thumper]

She'd also have to move the furniture in the new apartment to make room for studio shots, too.  Yeah, I was giving the whole thing a side-eye.  I loved Adrienne's outfit, though!  

[mojito]

Quote

but her weird high-water jeans were totally distracting to me. Is that some kind of Continental fashion?

I shook my head at that, too. I was a long-limbed skinny girl back when blouses had darts in them so I'm kind of sensitive to high-waters and am still not even that comfortable with 3/4-length sleeves (I am still reminded of Jethro Clampett) so I admittedly have baggage.

Maybe the photographer in Paris wants to take pictures of the Paris underbelly, in which case, she should invest in a longer lens and take shots from her apartment.

[LittleIggy]

12 hours ago, mojito said:

NZ to Paris

So the woman moves to Paris to be a photographer. To me, that would indicate that she wants to photograph the city. So why the need for a studio? She's going to do portrait photography as well? Really? It's not like she's shooting film and needs space for a dark room. She just needs room for a laptop and maybe a couple extra large monitors to edit photos digitally. When I saw the neighborhood she ultimately picked, I immediately thought that it looked like it was the place to find: drugs, sex for sale, forged documents, sleeper cells, etc. The agent didn't want to say it, but it was looked pretty seedy.  To each her own.

Agreed. I loved apartment 2.

[LittleIggy]

How does one make a living as a photographer unless one is a news photographer, a portrait photographer, or an artistic photographer? Genuinely asking because I don’t know. ?

Cadiz: I liked the apartment near the beach. I wonder what their business was?

3 hours ago, mojito said:

I shook my head at that, too. I was a long-limbed skinny girl back when blouses had darts in them so I'm kind of sensitive to high-waters and am still not even that comfortable with 3/4-length sleeves (I am still reminded of Jethro Clampett) so I admittedly have baggage.

Jethro’s last name was Bodine. My brain is full of trivia! ?

[biakbiak]

1 hour ago, LittleIggy said:

I wonder what their business was?

A stock photography/videography business.

Edited August 4, 2018 by biakbiak

[Mu Shu]

On 6/23/2018 at 8:01 PM, chocolatine said:

Neither of the Sitges spouses seemed to have any sense of adventure. The wife said she was used to living in a small town in Florida, so she wanted to live in a small town again. They didn't even mention wanting to explore other parts of Spain/Europe (Barcelona is only one hour away), learn the language, not even the requisite "slower pace of life". The husband wanted to be by the beach - it's not like Florida doesn't have them. Why move halfway around the world for one?

From what I’ve seen, Spain is more affordable than Florida.  But out beaches are better, unless you are obsessed with surfing.  I’m shocked at the nice places you can get on the beach in Spain for less than I pay to live in the Everglades.

[LittleIggy]

@biakbiak: Thanks for the info. I’m still not sure what they do however! ? 

[sempervivum]

14 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

How does one make a living as a photographer unless one is a news photographer, a portrait photographer, or an artistic photographer? Genuinely asking because I don’t know

Wedding photos, maybe, unless you consider that falls under either 'portrait' or 'artistic'. And while she might have some special talent, I bet there are a zillion wedding photographers in Paris.

[Kohola3]

35 minutes ago, sempervivum said:

I bet there are a zillion wedding photographers in Paris.

I'll bet there are a zillion photographers, period.  All shooting the minutiae in the streets of the City of Light. 

Although that's not litera; -  it the center of new ideas and education in the Age of Enlightenment.  So her blathering about shooting the areas bathed in light (or some such) was just, well, blathering.

[awaken]

Wow!  Our favorite Paris real estate agent had a brightened up look!  New glasses and hair!

the lip liner happening on the Paris ep was insane!  Do people do their own makeup for this show or do they have professionals to do it?  

I knew it would be apt 3 as soon as the bossy friend said her friend had just moved out. 

[abbyzenn]

NZ to Paris.  I didn't think the apartment she chose was so bad.  I'd rather have the big living area - and that room was pretty.  So I can see her choosing that apartment.  Since I'm not familiar with Paris neighborhoods I can't comment on the location.

The second apartment(at least I think it was the second one but it could have been the first one) with the rooftop views.  I had to laugh when she said that's the view she wanted.  I didn't see anything scenic about those rooftops.  Sometimes rooftop views can be pretty, and even spectacular, but that wasn't it.  Both the first and second apartments were really cluttered with furniture and especially in the second one made the living rooms seem small.

[LennieBriscoe]

Cadiz, Spain: The setting is wonderful,  and now I regret passing it by once upon a time!

As for this couple: In general, I'm in favor of water views when one has made a great effort to get there! 

Belize: Same point! But their rented floors had better make money ASAP, or hubby is going to be all "We left Jersey too early!" I wouldn't want to move to my dream locale just to be a landlord. 

[LittleIggy]

FL to Melbourne: Tie-dyed muumuus? Ugh. Mama Cass should haunt Meg. Putting on weight sure made her look older than her husband. I liked all of the apartments. Loved the real estate agent.

[mojito]

Quote

FL to Melbourne: Tie-dyed muumuus? Ugh. Mama Cass should haunt Meg. Putting on weight sure made her look older than her husband. I liked all of the apartments. Loved the real estate agent.

I couldn't stop thinking the same thing. Initially, I thought they were a mother and son duo. From a distance, she looks older and he looks younger. The third apartment, though nice, was too boxed in by the other apartments. Definitely a place where you won't find yourself looking outside much. 

[Neurochick]

On 8/1/2018 at 4:23 PM, seacliffsal said:

The Costa Rica episode: I was disappointed when the dad climbed into the wood table that was in the first apartment (the realtor even mentioned that the furniture was from Italy, so, very nice furniture).  But, ho, ho, ho, wasn't that funny?  No, it wasn't.  Then the wife said how the husband always made them laugh to which I silently responded 'it's not funny when you're potentially ruining someone else's furniture...'  I just don't get how the house hunters think it will endear them to the audience if they are disrespectful to someone else's property.  I include going into bathtubs with shoes one, the hard-jumping on beds, etc.  

As soon as he did that, I thought of this board. 

However, that table was ugly as anything and it was a very small part of the entire episode.  I focused on the scenery and how nice and normal those girls were.

Edited August 7, 2018 by Neurochick

[LittleIggy]

Bologna: Glad they picked the place on the historic square since, from what I understood, they would be there only a year.

[biakbiak]

Why were they carting luggage on the opening walk around the city? It seemed so random.

I probably would have gone with the third place even if it was $200 over because I absolutely know myself and my klutz ways and there is no way in hell I wouldn’t hit my head on those ceilings 10 times a day. I lived in a similar apartment in Paris (though without an elevator) for a summer and hitting my head got old fairly quickly but I still didn’t learn!

[Dewey Decimate]

The Bologna real estate agent looked like the love child of Peter Boyle in Young Frankenstein and Jim J. Bullock.

(And yet, I still found him... not unattractive?)

[KLovestoShop]

I did not like the man in the Nicaragua episode.  When he told his girlfriend she could go if she didn't like the far away house, if I were her, I'd be on the next flight home.  The thing I noticed about the house they chose was the barbed wire at the top of the wall surrounding the property.  To me, that was a huge red flag, and buying or renting a property that requires barbed wire just screams dangerous.