House Hunters International - General Discussion

[StatisticalOutlier]

On 4/9/2020 at 9:30 PM, LittleIggy said:

Cambodia: I live in Harrisonburg, VA. Yoder is a very common name among Mennonites. Wonder if they are affiliated with Eastern Mennonite University.

There's got to be some connection.  They mentioned peacebuilding, and EMU has a Center for Peacebuilding and Justice.  

 

On 4/9/2020 at 9:30 PM, LittleIggy said:

That baby was adorable! It was cute how everyone wanted to hold him (pre-COVID-19 days 🙁). 

And they let the shopkeepers hold the baby while they walked around the store.  I like it.

[DonnaMae]

Does anyone know if the bearded realtor in the Brighton, England, episode is an actor?  He looks so much like someone I saw in a movie, but I can't remember the name of the movie. 🙄 

[Neurochick]

On 4/3/2020 at 12:37 PM, Ambrosefolly said:

Why do I get the feeling that after this Corona Virus burns itself out, if new episode of HHI start back up, outdoor space and a more spacious living are going to be more valuable and being in the "hustle and bustle" of the city won't have the same appeal now that the possibility of the city serving as the kitchen, backyard and living room might not always be an option?

I don't know.  The bigger the house, the more shit can go wrong.  Outdoor space means work, you have to keep it looking nice.  If you have kids however, space should be a priority. 

OT:  What I think will change after Covid-19 are relationships.  Maybe dating couples will have to ask themselves, "how would this relationship survive if we HAD to stay in the same space for weeks?"

On 4/3/2020 at 4:28 PM, Ohwell said:

St. Thomas:  I can understand them wanting some privacy, but it looked pretty lonely up there at the top.  The wife seemed rather snooty and stuck up.

I don't think either of them really knew each other either.  Whatever he wanted, she shot down.

[Neurochick]

On 4/9/2020 at 2:41 PM, LittleIggy said:

Why did you feel sorry for her? She was living her life independently and bravely.

I agree.  Bravo to her for living her life, however I would not have left Mexico because it seemed she had a very good life and had everything she needed. 

[slasherboy]

I had to laugh when the realtor in Scotland said to the Mother, "And this is the 'wee' bedroom." and the Mother asked, "What do you mean by 'we'?"

I truly admire her bravery and self-confidence for transplanting to an unfamiliar country, given several potential obstacles that she seems to manage with gracious ease.  I wish her and her children well on their journeys.

[scrb]

So maybe it's me but it seems like most of the new episodes are all set near the US, either Central America or the Caribbean.

Presumably these were filmed in 2019 or relatively recently.

That would be before they shut down production work because of the pandemic?

Going to be interesting a year or two from now where the shows are set and how often they air new ones.

[blueray]

There is probably going to be a gap unfortunately :(.

I watched yesterday's episode (I think it was new?). The family was buy a house in panama because it was cheap and they didn't have to work anymore.  I thought it was odd that they didn't even mention the daughter having to make friends. She is going to be home schooled which they said so it really limits the amount of kids she'll even see. I get that they want to spend family time but all the time? The parents aren't working so they'll just be home. Maybe this is why they ended up with the condo in the town. So the kid can make friends and there would be other things to do.

Edited April 22, 2020 by blueray

[doodlebug]

2 hours ago, blueray said:

There is probably going to be a gap unfortunately :(.

I watched yesterday's episode (I think it was new?). The family was buy a house in panama because it was cheap and they didn't have to work anymore.  I thought it was odd that they didn't even mention the daughter having to make friends. She is going to be home schooled which they said so it really limits the amount of kids she'll even see. I get that they want to spend family time but all the time? The parents aren't working so they'll just be home. Maybe this is why they ended up with the condo in the town. So the kid can make friends and there would be other things to do.

The kid is seemingly also going to need to learn Spanish in order to make said friends.  They were from Sagamore Hills, an upscale suburb of Cleveland and their home there looked pretty nice.  Still, they seemed pretty young to want to permanently retire.  In a decade or so, their daughter is going to be going away to college, then what?  I get the husband wanting to spend more time with his family, especially while his daughter was young, but he seemed way too young to not have any other goals in life.

[LittleIggy]

47 minutes ago, doodlebug said:

The kid is seemingly also going to need to learn Spanish in order to make said friends.  They were from Sagamore Hills, an upscale suburb of Cleveland and their home there looked pretty nice.  Still, they seemed pretty young to want to permanently retire.  In a decade or so, their daughter is going to be going away to college, then what?  I get the husband wanting to spend more time with his family, especially while his daughter was young, but he seemed way too young to not have any other goals in life.

Yeah, I wondered about the daughter learning Spanish and making friends, too. I don’t see someone described as a Type A personality (the husband) would be content being, for all intents and purposes, retired at an early age. I can see him being laser focused on their budget and driving his wife crazy! The new dog was cute.

[doodlebug]

4 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

Yeah, I wondered about the daughter learning Spanish and making friends, too. I don’t see someone described as a Type A personality (the husband) would be content being, for all intents and purposes, retired at an early age. I can see him being laser focused on their budget and driving his wife crazy! The new dog was cute.

Of course, the show fictionalizes the backstories of the househunters all the time.  It could be that the whole scenario was fictional, especially since they were only planning to rent a place in Panama.  If they really planned to live there for the long haul, it would be more cost efficient to buy a home.  Maybe they're just taking a sabbatical for a year or two.

[DonnaMae]

I thought that Ohio father was rather odd.  He didn't want to have to buy a car.  Doesn't he want to be able to explore the country?  Buses don't go everywhere.  And the nearest grocery story might be several blocks away.  

[Grrarrggh]

8 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

Yeah, I wondered about the daughter learning Spanish and making friends, too. I don’t see someone described as a Type A personality (the husband) would be content being, for all intents and purposes, retired at an early age. I can see him being laser focused on their budget and driving his wife crazy! The new dog was cute.

He wasn't described as type A, just as someone who likes things to be planned out (except for dogs?) and listed. And cheap. That's not type A.

[blueray]

The wife in the episode called him "type A" but I think that may not be true.

[Grrarrggh]

26 minutes ago, blueray said:

The wife in the episode called him "type A" but I think that may not be true.

I was actually listening for that since I read the comments here before watching, and she never did in the version I saw. 

Oh, they did talk about home schooling their daughter though. 

[LittleIggy]

1 hour ago, Grrarrggh said:

I was actually listening for that since I read the comments here before watching, and she never did in the version I saw. 

Oh, they did talk about home schooling their daughter though. 

I heard her say it, too. I wouldn’t have mentioned it if I hadn’t. Whatever the case, I can still see him obsessing over the budget and driving his wife crazy.

[Kohola3]

16 hours ago, DonnaMae said:

I thought that Ohio father was rather odd.

I thought the whole story was odd.  I know that there are close-knit families but that seemed almost obsessive.  Never wanting the daughter to be out of their sight, home schooling her.  I found it kind of creepy.

[doodlebug]

5 hours ago, Kohola3 said:

I thought the whole story was odd.  I know that there are close-knit families but that seemed almost obsessive.  Never wanting the daughter to be out of their sight, home schooling her.  I found it kind of creepy.

It was creepy.  The dad said he took a couple weeks when the daughter was born and spent it at home with his wife and child; very common and normal.  But, then, he said that spending a couple weeks not working and being with them 24/7 convinced him he needed to stop working altogether so they would be together all the time.  Not cut back on his work hours, not change jobs to get a better balance; but essentially retire so that he would never have to leave home at all.  Weird.  I wonder how that plan is going to work when she reaches her teens and wants to do anything but hang out with mom and dad.

I'd imagine a lot of folks who are sheltering in place these days are kinda longing for the days when they could go to work, their kids could go to school and get a break from all that family togetherness.

[ArtFossil]

8 hours ago, Kohola3 said:

I thought the whole story was odd.  I know that there are close-knit families but that seemed almost obsessive.  Never wanting the daughter to be out of their sight, home schooling her.  I found it kind of creepy.

The poor daughter. This isn't going to end well. (The wife can choose. The daughter can't.)

Edited April 24, 2020 by ArtFossil

[buttersister]

Insufferable child woman in Bali. Start the clock, she may already be gone.

Love the realtor, though. Get a grip, bitch, your budget’s a joke. Might add him to my list of Richard, Adrian & Michael (I think) who should all have their own shows.

[seacliffsal]

Agree about the Bali woman. I think the reality was not the romance she expected as in the final scene her childlike wonder voice was replaced with a much lower and adult voice.  It's like she was so tired/stressed that she forgot to use her fake voice.

She even admitted that it was more difficult than she thought.  Yes, an "outdoor" kitchen and bathroom might sound romantic until the rain storms and monsoons come.  Oh, and all of the insects and animals she found cute may eventually have overwhelmed her (yes, when one does not have an "escape" one will be bitten, etc., by those lovely insects).  Love that her friend and the realtor were proved right.

[LittleIggy]

Bali: Was girlfriend stoned? She had the weirdest affect. No, worries, honey, I wouldn’t want to be your neighbor either. Ramses was easy on the eyes. 

[AlleC17]

Bali woman drove me up a wall, which granted, isn't too hard to do during these stay at home days!  The ing that had my eyes rolling, besides her changeable, fake voice was when she squealed at the rat, stated she didn't want mice or rats in the house, yet in the next scene was commenting on how the men were making a much bigger deal of the critters then she was.  Err...lady, you just squealed because you saw a rat scurry through your roof.  I mean I would have squealed too, but then not make fun of the others.  I doubt she will be there for long.

[DonnaMae]

14 hours ago, buttersister said:

Insufferable child woman in Bali. Start the clock, she may already be gone.

Love the realtor, though. Get a grip, bitch, your budget’s a joke. Might add him to my list of Richard, Adrian & Michael (I think) who should all have their own shows.

I agree about the realtor.  I'm sure he just loved working with that dingbat.  Just the way she talked annoyed me.  

[LittleIggy]

Bali: I bet that modern place with the pool looked better and better after a couple of weeks of the rustic life. Setting aside the open to the elements aspect of the place she picked, I wouldn’t want to be out in the boonies alone like that. Sounds like a set-up for a Dateline episode: (Keith Morrison voice) A young American, looking for a simpler life in Paradise, never expected her rustic compound to become....

Edited April 25, 2020 by LittleIggy

[scrb]

You can Google her and find her IG and FB.  She has some pics up on Etsy for sale.

Probably comes rom a wealthy family because she’s selling for $20 a photo so not likely to be covering rent.

Or she has money banked from her any job.

Bali is beautiful to visit but I don’t think I could deal with insects, having to sleep in a mosquito tent all the time.

[7isBlue]

On 4/24/2020 at 8:57 AM, LittleIggy said:

Bali: Was girlfriend stoned? She had the weirdest affect. No, worries, honey, I wouldn’t want to be your neighbor either. Ramses was easy on the eyes. 

Not to be mean, but she just seems super-dumb. 

[LittleIggy]

I liked the Aussie real estate guy. He was funny.

[Chippings]

1 hour ago, LittleIggy said:

I liked the Aussie real estate guy. He was funny.

He was, but the girl (and I've only seen House 1) is insufferable.  Quel brat.  We shall see.  .. Show ended.  Didn't change my mind much.  She's not much for listening to anybody else's opinions.  Lovely apartment, though.  

Edited April 30, 2020 by Chippings

[KLovestoShop]

The Australian couple, she really is a very spoiled brat, and he’s whipped because he gave in to everything she wanted.  Her Kartrashian voice was obnoxious, and when she revealed she was pregnant, I felt very sorry for the child because it will have a very vapid mother.  But I did like their realtor especially when he said the husband would fit in well, but she will stick out like a sore thumb with her fake lashes and eyebrows.  When she kept saying she’s worked so hard for what she has, I’m wondering what she worked so hard doing?  

[Koalagirl]

7 hours ago, Chippings said:

He was, but the girl (and I've only seen House 1) is insufferable.  Quel brat.  We shall see.  .. Show ended.  Didn't change my mind much.  She's not much for listening to anybody else's opinions.  Lovely apartment, though.  

She definitely was a brat, especially when she plopped down feet first with her shoes on onto the brand new couch.  

[Ohwell]

52 minutes ago, Koalagirl said:

She definitely was a brat, especially when she plopped down feet first with her shoes on onto the brand new couch.  

I was just coming here to comment on that.  What a brat.  Looks-wise, she reminded me of Jessica Simpson (although Jessica seems to be nice from what I've seen of her on tv).

Even though I'm not usually excited about Australian episodes, I'd love to see that real estate agent again.  

[biakbiak]

The wife reminded me is Kim Zoliack from RHOA. This is not a compliment.

[judylo]

I’m only in the middle of the Australian episode. She loves the balcony? Throw her over it! God what fools some men are.

[Ohwell]

The Hague, Netherlands:  I thought the real estate agent was very pretty.  That's all I've got. 

 

[ArtFossil]

London. Anyone who says, "We have to have an extra bedroom so friends and family can come visit" and who pays that extra rent for space that is used sporadically, if at all (instead of directing their guests to an Airbnb) is an idiot.

And, undercurrents of animosity there. They are not going to last.

Edited May 2, 2020 by ArtFossil

[scrb]

On 5/1/2020 at 12:41 PM, Ohwell said:

The Hague, Netherlands:  I thought the real estate agent was very pretty.  That's all I've got. 

 

Yeah she was in another episode.  Name is Floor.

The other Holland agent, who usually does the Amsterdam episodes, is more chipper and bubbly.  Forget her name.

Other agent name is Sarah, an older blond woman, either American or maybe English.

 

Edited May 5, 2020 by scrb

[proserpina65]

On ‎03‎/‎16‎/‎2020 at 9:24 PM, amarante said:

I don't find her problematic as she is generally dealing with idiots with no conception of the kind of compromises necessary in a European metropolitan area. 

The Dutch real estate seems to be particularly problematic - at least to me. Either you live in the suburbs or you are going to be living in a very narrow home with steep stairs. Homes will often have odd angles and cut off ceilings because it's the nature of the housing stock.

At least in other European cities the homes seem more like standard urban apartments versus the kind of suburban homes many of the HHI are used to. It could be that I am more familiar with these kinds of compromises in living but I find Amsterdam units to be particularly unappealing to me - while I can live with one bathroom, I don't think I could deal with a three story apartment with one bathroom reached by narrow steep stairs.

That's a side effect of all those canals in Amsterdam and other cities.  Real estate was quite expensive when those houses were built, even away from the canals, and to get a decent amount of space, people built upwards.  Which means tall, multi-story buildings with narrow, steep staircases.  If that's where you want to live, you get used to that type of house.

[proserpina65]

On ‎03‎/‎29‎/‎2020 at 11:10 PM, chessiegal said:

The need for privacy in a bathroom eludes me.

Smells, sounds and things I don't want to see on a regular basis (or don't want significant other to see).  A bathroom without a door between it and the bedroom would be a deal breaker for me.

 

[LittleIggy]

1 hour ago, scrb said:

Yeah she was in another episode.  Name is Floor.

The other Holland agent, who usually does the Amsterdam episodes, is more chipper and bubbly.  Forget her name.

Other agent name is Sarah, an older blond woman, either American or maybe English.

 

I wouldn’t call Sarah “an older” woman. Yikes! If you meant older than Floor, then yes. I assume Sarah is American.

[NJMom]

4 hours ago, proserpina65 said:

That's a side effect of all those canals in Amsterdam and other cities.  Real estate was quite expensive when those houses were built, even away from the canals, and to get a decent amount of space, people built upwards.  Which means tall, multi-story buildings with narrow, steep staircases.  If that's where you want to live, you get used to that type of house.

Way back in the day when the Amsterdam homes were built, they were taxed on the width of the houses. Therefore people built narrow, tall home to avoid those taxes.

[Ohwell]

I think it would have been cool to live in one of those canal Amsterdam houses when I was in my early 20s but now that I'm ancient, there's no way I'd live in one.   

And even when you're young, good luck getting up those stairs with a broken leg from skateboarding.

[proserpina65]

17 hours ago, NJMom said:

Way back in the day when the Amsterdam homes were built, they were taxed on the width of the houses. Therefore people built narrow, tall home to avoid those taxes.

Yep, kind of like how houses in Charleston were taxed by width and number of windows on the street, so they're narrow and long, with most of their windows on the side, not the front.

16 hours ago, Ohwell said:

I think it would have been cool to live in one of those canal Amsterdam houses when I was in my early 20s but now that I'm ancient, there's no way I'd live in one.   

And even when you're young, good luck getting up those stairs with a broken leg from skateboarding.

Yeah, those stairs would kill my knees now, but when I was younger . . .

[scrb]

Prague:  She went on and on about the ceilings, said it would be worth paying $200 more a month for decorative ceilings than for stainless steel appliances.

In the end they settled for a more plain looking place, but cheaper, roomier.

He talked about wanting to travel, because his father died before he could.  He gave up a good job in order to be his girlfriend's lackey.

 

[buttersister]

That story in Prague didn't quite hold together, did it? But they found an economical place and seem to be traveling all over the place. Maybe he's working through his grief. The whole situation doesn't seem long term. But, good choice, Prague is beautiful.

[biakbiak]

6 hours ago, buttersister said:

The whole situation doesn't seem long term.

On her blog she said they were only staying a year. She hasn’t updated since late December which she said was the six month mark. I wonder how they are doing and where they are.

Edited May 7, 2020 by biakbiak

[Grrarrggh]

4 hours ago, scrb said:

He talked about wanting to travel, because his father died before he could.  He gave up a good job in order to be his girlfriend's lackey.

 

No, he gave up a job to have a life. For a year or two at least. And he probably didn't give it up but take a sabbatical. 

[ArtFossil]

7 hours ago, scrb said:

Prague:  She went on and on about the ceilings, said it would be worth paying $200 more a month for decorative ceilings than for stainless steel appliances.

In the end they settled for a more plain looking place, but cheaper, roomier.

He talked about wanting to travel, because his father died before he could.  He gave up a good job in order to be his girlfriend's lackey.

 

After watching a number of International House Hunters with "travel blog" writers, I still wonder: who READS a travel blog? And how does it generate any significant income?  I've come to assume that "travel blog" is code for either drug-dealing or an inheritance.

And if you have to rely on your flat to "tell you where you are" then you probably should seek help.

Edited May 7, 2020 by ArtFossil

[scrb]

There are a lot of bloggers who put up practical info.  But where they may get a lot of traffic is on Youtube and Instagram.

These are often attractive young women, who often post photos of themselves in swim suits at scenic locales.

Or they glam it up with hair and makeup professionally done and have pictures taken professionally but posted to IG.

If they build enough traffic they can endorse products for real money.

 

[Kohola3]

I quite liked the couple moving to Ecuador.  I thought he was a hoot and she was lovingly tolerant.  That third place was stunning.

2 hours ago, scrb said:

These are often attractive young women, who often post photos of themselves in swim suits at scenic locales.

Well, that won't work for this girl.  I wouldn't put any credence in a travel blog so I'd never read one.  And what exactly did she need him to do?  Isn't it just blathering about tourist attractions and posting some pictures?  Hardly a two man operation.

[scrb]

42 minutes ago, Kohola3 said:

 

Well, that won't work for this girl.  I wouldn't put any credence in a travel blog so I'd never read one.  And what exactly did she need him to do?  Isn't it just blathering about tourist attractions and posting some pictures?  Hardly a two man operation.

Yeah I doubt she’s a big IG figure.

But I’ve seen some pretty good practical info on these blogs which I’ve found by searching say 10 day Thailand itinerary, to get ideas.

But certainly no money in those.  Unless she’s actually running guided tours or something.

So in this case, they have some other source of money they don’t want to really disclose on the show.