House Hunters International - General Discussion

[Kohola3]

33 minutes ago, sempervivum said:

Anybody notice that his kilt tartan (looked like purple/grey) was the same as the dressing room curtains in the shop?

Didn't catch that!  I wonder if there is some sort of generic, non-clan related plaid that they sell to those who do not have a Scottish heritage.

[proserpina65]

On ‎09‎/‎14‎/‎2019 at 10:52 PM, LennieBriscoe said:

We were told their budget. We were shown their option of a building overlooking a canal.  

And that option did not best suit their needs & budget.  As for other reasons for moving to Amsterdam besides living in a building overlooking a canal, you were the one who said why bother moving there if you can't live on a canal - we provided perfect valid reasons to do so.

On ‎09‎/‎15‎/‎2019 at 3:48 PM, biakbiak said:

But I also find that realistic that when you start looking for a place you have a list of things that you want from location to views to bed/bathroom number and then you have to weigh those wants vs. smaller rooms, lack of flow etc that come with them and decide what is important.

Exactly.  When I was house hunting, I had a very specific list of things I wanted & did not want, but that list evolved as I discovered how far my budget would actually stretch.

On ‎09‎/‎15‎/‎2019 at 3:15 PM, seacliffsal said:

think one of the issues with the Amsterdam non-canal view choice was that the wife specifically stated that she wanted a canal view. 

She did, but then discovered what a lot of these HHers do: that they cannot afford a canal view with the space or convenience to work/school they also want.  The idea of living on a canal in Amsterdam is quite romantic, but in actuality those places are expensive, tall and narrow, and lack the kind of space that many Americans are used to.  It's a matter of determining which desires are the real priorities and choosing accordingly.

[LittleIggy]

What tartan would a guy from the Cayman Islands wear?

[biakbiak]

7 minutes ago, LittleIggy said:

What tartan would a guy from the Cayman Islands wear?

Scottish merchant marines were some of its first settlers and it’s still a British territory so he could have Scottish ancestory.

[SmithW6079]

14 hours ago, sempervivum said:

Anybody notice that his kilt tartan (looked like purple/grey) was the same as the dressing room curtains in the shop?

Was it from the Maria von Trapp Collection?

[txvoodoo]

On 9/11/2019 at 4:36 PM, seacliffsal said:

I am always speechless when the house hunters announce that they want the authentic "fill in the blank" experience.  How do they think people live?  In hovels without any modern conveniences? 

Taking words out of my mouth - I was just thinking this last night. "I want a typical ____ apartment!" They want it to look 18th century but to have modern plumbing and an American sized fridge. 

They seriously don't think anyone else in the world likes modern design or architecture! They might leave their exteriors looking original, but not the interiors. 

[biakbiak]

Amanda needs to take Alder and leave that annoying selfish ass manchild to freeze in Norway and go back to Diamond!

Edited September 19, 2019 by biakbiak

[txvoodoo]

15 minutes ago, biakbiak said:

Amanda needs to take Alder and leave that annoying selfish ass manchild to freeze in Norway and go back to Diamond!

I couldn't believe how immature the husband was. At first I was all "ugh, another kid" but the young kid was far more mature than his father. When he said he initially wasn't into being a dad, I thought that was cringeworthy.

[biakbiak]

Just now, txvoodoo said:

kid" but the young kid was far more mature than his father. W

Seriously when your five year old is telling  you to at least try a food before you say you don’t like it you suck.

[LennieBriscoe]

If one can't live the dream vicariously when watching "House Hunters International" because of buyers' "practical" reasons, then to me the show has no raison d'etre! I might as well look at my own plain-Jane dwelling!  (Please no "It's interesting to see what's available for how much," etc.) 

Maybe I should stick with "My Lottery Dream Home"! 

Norway:  See, to me that would be Divorce City right there. That puerile husband couldn't find out basic information. "We use the house in the summer. You can rent another then." "Sorry, no dogs allowed." 

And who could have anticipated that Scandinavia might be....cold? 

Edited September 19, 2019 by LennieBriscoe

[Koalagirl]

Alder has just proven that kids on HHI do not have to be precocious, irritating twits.  Loved his response to the question of “do you think dad will be able to make a fire.”  

[Jodithgrace]

Re: Norway  At least they were looking in the winter, so they had some idea of what they were facing. Imagine choosing a home in the lovely summer and then finding out that the house was freezing in the winter.  But that Dad was so annoying. He couldn't do the basic job of finding reasonable houses. Did he even try to figure out the ferry? 

It must be nice to be the "fun" dad, while Mom gets to be the heavy and do all the work. 

[sempervivum]

26 minutes ago, Jodithgrace said:

He couldn't do the basic job of finding reasonable houses.

Not sure why the wife couldn't do that. She's gotta know by now what a dipshit Mr. Roboto is, so why not save herself the annoyance of going to places that can't possibly work for them?

[javajeanelaine]

Because she is hoping, just once, she doesn't have to be responsible for EVERYTHING.

[LittleIggy]

Italy: I loved all the cats strolling around! One was walking across a roof. Then the two doggies!

I wouldn’t have any problem sleeping on a sofa bed in the living room if I could stay for free at a friend’s house in Italy!

Edited September 20, 2019 by LittleIggy

[chessiegal]

Woman in Italy can have all the men she wants. Granted, I only spent 10 days in Italy, but I found the men to be insufferable.

[Mittengirl]

The way she kept talking about Italian men kind of creeped me out.  Imagine a man her age talking about women that way on a tv show.  

In the Norway episode, something at the beginning made me think he had been there for a while and wife &kid just arrived, hence the expectation that he had been checking on housing without her.

Edited September 20, 2019 by Mittengirl

[buttersister]

Woman in Italy kinda creeped me out in general. Based on her grooming and wardrobe I had to look twice when the guide said she was a designer. When I first saw the white couches by the fireplace in the kitchen, I knew that was hers!

[Ohwell]

2 hours ago, Mittengirl said:

The way she kept talking about Italian men kind of creeped me out.  Imagine a man her age talking about women that way on a tv show.  

I called her and her friend the Creepy Cougars.  

[LittleIggy]

Nevis: I liked the real estate guy. I wanted to smack the mom every time she mentioned there was no bath tub. Excuse me, didn’t you hear Di Juan say they were not common? Can’t she buy a small plastic tub to use? I liked the place they picked since it had the screened in patio and was right on the beach. 

Is it easier to get into a Caribbean medical school?

[ML89]

5 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

Is it easier to get into a Caribbean medical school?

Yes. I have a friend whose boyfriend just did the Caribbean route about three years ago in Grenada. 

[doodlebug]

7 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

Nevis: I liked the real estate guy. I wanted to smack the mom every time she mentioned there was no bath tub. Excuse me, didn’t you hear Di Juan say they were not common? Can’t she buy a small plastic tub to use? I liked the place they picked since it had the screened in patio and was right on the beach. 

Is it easier to get into a Caribbean medical school?

Yes it is, as long as you’ve got the money. The majority of students attending them are Americans who weren’t able to get into a US med school.

[biakbiak]

18 minutes ago, doodlebug said:

Yes it is, as long as you’ve got the money. The majority of students attending them are Americans who weren’t able to get into a US med school.

Now it’s  also people who don’t want to incur massive loan debt to go to any school and everyone still have to pass the medical boards to practice in the US.

[chessiegal]

They scripted the Nevis guy as too stupid to go to med school. "Is this a dishwasher?". No, it's a baby washer, just toss that toddler of yours in there and tell them to hold their breath. "Is that a swimming pool?". No, it's a flooded putting green.

[amarante]

I thought all of the choices the decorator moving to Italy were terrible.

Maybe I overthink stuff but the woman was no spring chicken and all I could think was how impossible it would be to navigate those steps in a few years. 

And all of the steps IN from the "bedrooms" to get to a bathroom.

I also don't understand how the loft was more desirable as a guest bedroom than sleeping in an isolated living room. As a guest I would prefer being able to wake up and move around without moving into someone else's bedroom. The guest could use the bathroom; fix something in the kitchen and hang out in the living room with the light on if he/she wanted versus being stuck up in the loft not wanting to disturb the hostess by walking down and through the room.

[SmithW6079]

On 9/21/2019 at 12:39 AM, LittleIggy said:

Nevis: I liked the real estate guy. I wanted to smack the mom every time she mentioned there was no bath tub. Excuse me, didn’t you hear Di Juan say they were not common? Can’t she buy a small plastic tub to use? I liked the place they picked since it had the screened in patio and was right on the beach. 

Not only that, but her horror that the one unit had the washer & dryer behind a door in the dining room and the other had the appliances in the lower level. I guess they have to be around their precious babies 24/7 (except when she was complaining that without their friends and family around she'd be around the kids 24/7). Hey, lady, you have in-unit laundry. It doesn't matter where it is. (I looked for a year for a co-op that had in-unit laundry, which is in the kitchen. There's no dishwasher, but I don't care; at least I don't have to go out to a laundry room or the laundromat.)

The Italy woman was creepy; actually, all the ladies were. When she was complaining about the first house,  saying how she'd be bumping her knees or hips found to the bathroom at night, I was thinking, they have these nifty things called nightlights to help alleviate that issue. 

[laredhead]

By the time the Nevis episode was over,  I was  yelling at the woman about her stupid obsession with a bathtub for the kids.   The realtor told her several times that bathtubs aren't common on Nevis.  Get over it, and buy a plastic tub or blow up pool for the shower area.   

So the washer and dryer aren't where you want them to be.  The husband said this isn't a forever home, and just a temporary place, so things aren't going to be like back in Minnesota.  While I'm griping, what was with the "safety" issue of the doors in the last place.  Someone mentioned nightlights for another episode, so maybe this woman needs to buy a nightlight so she doesn't run into a door in the middle of the night.  I do wonder how some people have lived as long as they have without having common sense.

As for the houses/condos, I liked the 2nd one best, but since they were all so similar, I really can't remember a distinguishing feature about any of them.  I did notice that the washer in the place they chose was rusted on the exterior.  Salt water in the air will do that to appliances that are outside.     

[Jodithgrace]

Personally, I liked the idea of the washer/dryer in the dining room. As you take the clean laundry out of the dryer, you have the perfect place to fold it. For some reason they seemed to think that they had to do the wash while they were eating. 

[amarante]

56 minutes ago, Jodithgrace said:

Personally, I liked the idea of the washer/dryer in the dining room. As you take the clean laundry out of the dryer, you have the perfect place to fold it. For some reason they seemed to think that they had to do the wash while they were eating. 

I think the issue isn't sanitation but having to deal with having laundry around rather than having it in a contained closed off area. All things being equal, it's nice to be able to not have to deal with laundry clutter in one's living area. 

It's all relative as I have always lived in an urban area without a dedicated laundry room so it's not something I would bitch about. But a lot of these people have always lived in suburban homes and it's not something they have encountered before.

18 hours ago, laredhead said:

By the time the Nevis episode was over,  I was  yelling at the woman about her stupid obsession with a bathtub for the kids.   The realtor told her several times that bathtubs aren't common on Nevis.  Get over it, and buy a plastic tub or blow up pool for the shower area.   

So the washer and dryer aren't where you want them to be.  The husband said this isn't a forever home, and just a temporary place, so things aren't going to be like back in Minnesota.  

I think it's a real logistics issue when you have young children in terms of leaving them alone when the laundry facilities are distant. Obviously there are different parenting styles but many parents do not want to leave their children in an apartment alone until they are a certain age. While I am not a helicopter parent I don't think it is odd to wonder how you would handle this and still not leave your children unattended.

[ML89]

1 hour ago, Jodithgrace said:

Personally, I liked the idea of the washer/dryer in the dining room. As you take the clean laundry out of the dryer, you have the perfect place to fold it. For some reason they seemed to think that they had to do the wash while they were eating. 

Mine is next to my dining area - there’s no problem with it, just don’t wash at dinner time. It’s certainly great for the inevitable dish towel load!

[chessiegal]

No comments on the Vienna couple? Miss we must procreate immediately! Her comment about how are they going to "make a baby" if they have separate beds. Talk about unclear on the concept! Send her back to Bio 101. 

[Ohwell]

That "make a baby" woman got on my nerves!  Sounded like a five year old.

[Pickles]

The Vienna make a baby woman was annoying. Funny how all through the episode it was--make a baby, make a baby. At the end of the episode, it was--we are going to wait a while before we start our family. I was reading about them online. She is a film maker (documentaries maybe).  Her dad is also a film maker and her mother was a stunt woman. The husband has a job at university in Vienna.

[doodlebug]

2 hours ago, chessiegal said:

No comments on the Vienna couple? Miss we must procreate immediately! Her comment about how are they going to "make a baby" if they have separate beds. Talk about unclear on the concept! Send her back to Bio 101. 

I did like the fact that they both seemed excited to be living in Vienna and the show didn't use the old trope of one partner is excited while the other is not. I also liked that they both seemed to be learning the language and meeting the locals.

  But, yes, all the babymaking baloney got tired.  And I don't understand why TPTB on the show think we're all so dumb as to think that it is impossible to have a child while living in a home without a bathtub.  Both of them had been living in Vienna for a while, they surely knew what sorts of amenities were common and which were not.  They haven't even conceived the kid yet and babies really aren't big enough for a regular bathtub until they're able to sit up by themselves or even older.  We know Europeans bathe their children.  Obviously, there are other solutions to the conundrum than a full sized adult tub in the bathroom.  The househunters just sound ignorant when they don't think there is any alternative or that they must have RIGHT NOW the bathtub that they won't need for a baby for at least a couple of years.

[TVForever]

6 hours ago, chessiegal said:

No comments on the Vienna couple? Miss we must procreate immediately! Her comment about how are they going to "make a baby" if they have separate beds. Talk about unclear on the concept! Send her back to Bio 101. 

And the realtor’s response- something along the lines of, “I’m sure you’ll find a way”, cracked me up! 

[Kemper]

30 minutes ago, TVForever said:

And the realtor’s response- something along the lines of, “I’m sure you’ll find a way”, cracked me up! 

The realtor was a show himself; witty asides, etc.  Although he did throw some shade at the woman's seeming running things.  I tuned in late; when I heard all the "baby" talk I figured they had a baby and wondered who was babysitting while they house hunted.

Still, they didn't denigrate any of the homes they looked at (even the mold-infested-stinky toilet-one).  The husband was loose and amenable, the wife, other than the baby talk /tub was good-humored.  And they both seemed excited to be there.  Even Mr. Kemper watched til the end.  

[Ohwell]

4 hours ago, doodlebug said:

But, yes, all the babymaking baloney got tired.  And I don't understand why TPTB on the show think we're all so dumb as to think that it is impossible to have a child while living in a home without a bathtub.  Both of them had been living in Vienna for a while, they surely knew what sorts of amenities were common and which were not.  They haven't even conceived the kid yet and babies really aren't big enough for a regular bathtub until they're able to sit up by themselves or even older.

In the husband's defense though, at one point he did say that they could just get a plastic tub to bathe the baby in.  It was the make a baby wife who kept insisting that they couldn't live without a tub.

Edited September 25, 2019 by Ohwell

[chessiegal]

Our grandkids have always been bathed in the kitchen sink until they didn't fit anymore.

The way she yammered about a baby from the get go, all I heard from her was "baby" "blah,blah blah".

[Grrarrggh]

On 9/23/2019 at 3:10 PM, amarante said:

I think it's a real logistics issue when you have young children in terms of leaving them alone when the laundry facilities are distant. Obviously there are different parenting styles but many parents do not want to leave their children in an apartment alone until they are a certain age. While I am not a helicopter parent I don't think it is odd to wonder how you would handle this and still not leave your children unattended.

Do the laundry once his father gets home. Duh. Safetywise I'd be more worried about the pool. 

Edited September 25, 2019 by Grrarrggh

[SmithW6079]

I liked the Norway husband. He owned being a socially awkward geek, although I felt sorry for him having to apologize for every action or decision he took. I bet that bitch of a wife puts him down at every turn.

He hinted at it obliquely, but I think he had a breakdown after their son was born. I also think they started dating, got pregnant accidentally, and had a shotgun wedding.

That kid was awful. I loved that the one landlady basically yelled at him for jumping on the furniture. And the parents excused it as hoping the room could survive his destructiveness.

[Ohwell]

Back to the make a baby wife in Vienna who kept insisting on a bathtub for future baby:  I'm watching an episode of Monarch of the Glen right now and the guy is bathing a baby in a very nice plastic tub.   Plus, it looks easier to handle the baby than bending down to bathe the baby in a bathtub.

[LittleIggy]

3 hours ago, Ohwell said:

Back to the make a baby wife in Vienna who kept insisting on a bathtub for future baby:  I'm watching an episode of Monarch of the Glen right now and the guy is bathing a baby in a very nice plastic tub.   Plus, it looks easier to handle the baby than bending down to bathe the baby in a bathtub.

I’ve never had kids, but I’m pretty sure people don’t bathe infants in adult tubs. They bathe them in large sinks or portable baby tubs. The whole thing was also silly since she wasn’t even pregnant.

[oakville]

I loved the homes they showed in Bariloche, Argentina.

It's impressive that a family with 6 kids could get a large home for $1,600 .

[scrb]

28 minutes ago, oakville said:

I loved the homes they showed in Bariloche, Argentina.

It's impressive that a family with 6 kids could get a large home for $1,600 .

Argentine Peso has been cratering for the past year or two, even more than it already had.

Did the homes have bars?

In Buenos Aires, you'd see these apartment buildings with terraces and they all had bars over the doors and windows, even those like 8 stories up.

[mousegirl]

Hmmm...the Mexico City one I saw last night had me wondering how long the couple were going to last. They did seem very devoted to their little girl (who was adorable) but there were comments made by the wife re their relationship that left me shaking my head a bit. 

I hated the condo they chose because it seemed so dark and dreary, with those strange air-shaft-style patios off the bedrooms, but they did have understandable reasons for rejecting the other two (one being way over budget with incredibly tiny rooms, and the other sporting balconies that were NOT safe for their daughter to be anywhere near).  What I could not understand is why, in a huge metropolitan area like MC, their weren't any other, more feasible choices (even if they are just decoys on the show).

Oh, and the realtor's cutesy voice worked my last nerve.  I finally turned off the sound and just watched the rest in blessed silence. 

[LittleIggy]

Mexico City: The wife was off-putting. Wonder what kind of work the husband does that he can wear his hair like that. Not flattering at all, dude. Don’t they make locks to put on sliding doors (in addition to the ones already there)?

[doodlebug]

Quote

Don’t they make locks to put on sliding doors (in addition to the ones already there)?

We saw the mom and daughter at the subway station and mom explained to daughter why they had to stay behind the line and the child seemed readily able to comprehend the safety issue, I don't know why the parents thought the kid wouldn't be able to understand why she couldn't climb onto the railings on a balcony 18 stories up.  And, yes, there are lots of ways to childproof sliding doors, most of them pretty cheap solutions including placing a lock at a height a child could not reach and/or using keyed locks and not leaving the keys within reach.  I am sure that many, many kids just as young and active as that one have lived above the first floor in that building and managed to survive to tell the tale.

Edited September 28, 2019 by doodlebug

[doodlebug]

12 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

Mexico City: The wife was off-putting. Wonder what kind of work the husband does that he can wear his hair like that. Not flattering at all, dude. Don’t they make locks to put on sliding doors (in addition to the ones already there)?

15 hours ago, mousegirl said:

I hated the condo they chose because it seemed so dark and dreary, with those strange air-shaft-style patios off the bedrooms, but they did have understandable reasons for rejecting the other two (one being way over budget with incredibly tiny rooms, and the other sporting balconies that were NOT safe for their daughter to be anywhere near).  What I could not understand is why, in a huge metropolitan area like MC, their weren't any other, more feasible choices (even if they are just decoys on the show).

I agree, the other apartment was nicer, except for the teeny tiny bedrooms, but it was also $500 a month more which is a pretty big hit for most people and the husband was right, it would have seriously limited their travel and entertainment budget.  Since the wife was apparently planning to stay home with the child, that might also have been affected had they had to pay so much more.

The wife got on my nerves with all her clamoring about her art and needing bright light to paint.  I get it, but surely there are local parks where she can sketch while the kid is on the playground or buy a decent light to paint by.  The air ducts/patio area was depressing in that building, but surely there were ways to brighten it up.

[amarante]

My problem with shows like the one in Mexico City is that it is difficult to believe that there are only three terrible choices in the whole city within their budget.

Living facing what was essentially a large air shaft would be unacceptable to me - forget light - I want a room that doesn't resemble a jail cell. The other extreme was a luxury high rise. Surely there was an apartment that didn't have luxury amenities but did have some light and a view - even if it is just out to the street - in a walkable neighborhood.

I find the whole false issue of child endangerment when there are exterior doors to be ridiculous. Put a lock on the door and problem solved. 

Also I don't know what kind of art this woman dabbles in but I don't know how a serious painter could have their art set up in a corner of the living room. Painting is pretty messy and for that reason, I would want some kind of enclosed area so that I wasn't constantly putting away the art stuff.

Edited September 28, 2019 by amarante

[oakville]

23 hours ago, scrb said:

Argentine Peso has been cratering for the past year or two, even more than it already had.

Did the homes have bars?

In Buenos Aires, you'd see these apartment buildings with terraces and they all had bars over the doors and windows, even those like 8 stories up.

The Peso decline makes sense!. These homes were huge Swiss style chalets with no bars on them. They weren't in the city.