House Hunters International - General Discussion

[Irlandesa]

I don't think there was any hanky panky between the roommate and the guy.  They've known each other since they were 9.

That studio really felt like a dorm room.  It wouldn't surprise me to find out it was subsidized student housing of some sort, especially if Felix's current apartment is a two bedroom that rents for around 800.  I know he said 400 but I always assumed that was his share of the rent that he'd split with his girlfriend.

[scrb]

She must have had better living situation back home in Chicago, so maybe wanted something nicer.  Certainly nicer than that small matters on the floor in that narrow room.

How many more years could the guy have to get his degree?

He tried to get her to retry that metts thing, some kind of raw pork snack and she wasn't having it.

 

[Grizzly]

I'm wondering if his old roommate had to find someone new to move in or could she handle the rent on her own.

[TVForever]

15 minutes ago, Grizzly said:

I'm wondering if his old roommate had to find someone new to move in or could she handle the rent on her own.

The way this show plays fast and loose with the real story, I half expected to learn at the end that the roommate (Kinzi?) had decided to move in with another friend somewhere else, leaving the couple with the cute, perfectly located, affordable apartment where boyfriend was already living.

[scrb]

1 hour ago, TVForever said:

The way this show plays fast and loose with the real story, I half expected to learn at the end that the roommate (Kinzi?) had decided to move in with another friend somewhere else, leaving the couple with the cute, perfectly located, affordable apartment where boyfriend was already living.

That apt. looked to be in a nice location, was as nice as the other places they saw.

If the roommate moved out, it would have been a good choice.

So Felix figured he's lived there for a few years so they don't need a realtor to come up with living options.  Maybe not having an agent on this episode was a reflection of the pandemic but I think it was shot in the fall.

[buttersister]

I think $400 was his share and his budget limit. Which might mean it'll still be his share if girlfriend pays her half.  Which is fine, as long as she gets what she wants, having, as people in this situation rightfully do, remind that she made the big move and gave up, blah blah. 

The aroma of shenanigans surrounds the idea that they've been talking about this move for two years without deciding they were getting their own place, which I think she alluded to. Good luck, kids. Study hard. Wash your hands. 

[chocolatine]

I was looking forward to the Münster episode since I grew up about 50 miles from there, but I agree, the couple had a very awkward vibe. I think the girlfriend will go back to the US after she finishes her master's program, with or without the boyfriend. Living in that tiny studio will be OK for a year or two, but eventually she'll miss her Chicago lifestyle.

7 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

That studio really felt like a dorm room.  It wouldn't surprise me to find out it was subsidized student housing of some sort, especially if Felix's current apartment is a two bedroom that rents for around 800.  I know he said 400 but I always assumed that was his share of the rent that he'd split with his girlfriend.

I don't think his current apartment rents for 800. His bedroom is tiny, so Franzi must have the bigger bedroom and proportionally pay more. It could also be that Franzi's family own the apartment and they're giving Felix a "Freundschaftspreis" (friends and family discount) to live there. Franzi did say that she and Felix had been friends since they were nine years old.

6 hours ago, scrb said:

How many more years could the guy have to get his degree?

When I was a student in the early 2000s many people stayed in school for as long as eight years. There was no time limit for graduation, no tuition to be paid at public universities, and students get a lot of perks like free health insurance and discounted transit passes. Cost of living was much cheaper then, so people could get by with a part-time job, and since their course load was so light there was still plenty of time for social activities. Especially in lovely university towns (like Münster) people liked to stick around and enjoy the good life. I don't know if that's still the case though, I haven't lived in Germany for over 10 years now and haven't kept up with the developments in higher education. I do know that the cost of living has gone up drastically so getting by on a part-time job is not as easy anymore.

[Babalooie]

I liked all three places in Muenster and could handle living in a studio apt.  I don't see these two staying together.  She has some hang-ups and  I cannot imagine romance between the two.

Signed,

Dr. S. Freud

[Irlandesa]

This is a basic college relationship between young people.  Since most of those end, I am not too worried about analyzing their relationship.  I do think his family might be as much of, if not a bigger, incentive for her, though.

[Grrarrggh]

The hunter in Vienna seemed nice and got a good place for a pretty good amount. Hope she can save some endangered animals.

[ECM1231]

49 minutes ago, Grrarrggh said:

The hunter in Vienna seemed nice and got a good place for a pretty good amount. Hope she can save some endangered animals.

Her English was amazing and I barely detected any accent at all. Her boyfriend was very handsome. While the apartment she chose was on budget and very quiet, which is what she wanted, it lacked any outdoor space and was the farthest. For $100 more I thought the other larger place with nice patio was a better option. Even her boyfriend thought so. Also, all the low angles would have driven me crazy. I see lots of bumped heads in her future. 

[LittleIggy]

Vienna: Boyfriend was hawt! 😉 I’m surprised she didn’t have a pet considering her career.

[scrb]

Was Vienna  a new episode?

Not seeing it on the program guide or in the HGTV app.

[buttersister]

The minute that Vienna HH saw that tile, I knew that the lovely patio with planters and furniture wasn’t already hers. But she, her boyfriend (sorry, realtor, you don’t get to know his name) and their two dogs seem happy in their tree house. Watch your heads!

And how much did I love it when her reaction to a 30–40 minute commute was basically, cool.

[TVForever]

8 hours ago, buttersister said:

The minute that Vienna HH saw that tile, I knew that the lovely patio with planters and furniture wasn’t already hers. But she, her boyfriend (sorry, realtor, you don’t get to know his name) and their two dogs seem happy in their tree house. Watch your heads!

And how much did I love it when her reaction to a 30–40 minute commute was basically, cool.

I thought it was a refreshing change from, "What? A 15 minute walk to work? That's sooo faaar...."

On the other hand, that second apartment was the wrong decoy for the producers to pick. I knew it was the best, she knew it was the best, her boyfriend knew it, heck, we all knew. Who would ever truly choose the third place over that one, especially for 100.00? The only fake knock against the place that the producers could come up with for her to complain about was the lack of doors. For an apartment that she's going to be living in by herself. I guess we were supposed to pretend we didn't see the thick curtains at the bedroom doorway.

Don't get me wrong. The third place was really cute. But for 100.00 more, the second place would definitely have been The One.

[NYGirl]

I agree about the second apartment.  She was crazy not to choose it.  She said "my boyfriend (no name) 100 times during the episode like she couldn't believe that good looking guy was hers!

Shower in the kitchen?  No need for a dishwasher!!  LOL

[Irlandesa]

35 minutes ago, NYGirl said:

Shower in the kitchen?

There are very few times I go "oh no" when the house hunters are going "oh no" to something but a shower in the kitchen?  Yeah, that did it. 

It'd be one thing if it were all just room.  I think I saw that once when HHI was doing an episode in an Asian country and the househunters had a practically zero budget but in an apartment with multiple rooms? 

So I felt her.  But then she "oh no'd" the washer/dryer in the bathroom and she lost me.  That wasn't weird and she knows it.

[Grrarrggh]

1 hour ago, Irlandesa said:

But then she "oh no'd" the washer/dryer in the bathroom and she lost me.  That wasn't weird and she knows it.

She just pointed out that in Portugal washing machines are often in the kitchen not bathroom, but she said she'd just have to get used to it. Seemed pretty cool and easy going to me. 

[LittleIggy]

13 hours ago, buttersister said:

The minute that Vienna HH saw that tile, I knew that the lovely patio with planters and furniture wasn’t already hers. But she, her boyfriend (sorry, realtor, you don’t get to know his name) and their two dogs seem happy in their tree house. Watch your heads!

And how much did I love it when her reaction to a 30–40 minute commute was basically, cool.

What two dogs? The only dogs I saw were at her office.

[Irlandesa]

18 minutes ago, Grrarrggh said:

She just pointed out that in Portugal washing machines are often in the kitchen not bathroom, but she said she'd just have to get used to it. Seemed pretty cool and easy going to me. 

She was.  I just thought it was a strange thing to criticize, especially since it came after kitchen shower.

[StatisticalOutlier]

2 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

There are very few times I go "oh no" when the house hunters are going "oh no" to something but a shower in the kitchen?  Yeah, that did it.

I couldn't tell--was the toilet in the hallway outside her actual apartment?  It was in a hallway that looked too big to have been in her apartment.  That would be a definite deal-breaker.

Also, she was talking about going from her bed to the toilet, and then to the kitchen to wash her hands, and then back to bed.  I'm no doubt outing myself as a pig, but I don't wash my hands after I go to the bathroom in the middle of the night.  I stumble in and stumble out, hoping against hope not to wake up too much.

 

25 minutes ago, Grrarrggh said:

She just pointed out that in Portugal washing machines are often in the kitchen not bathroom, but she said she'd just have to get used to it.

I liked it because Americans on HHI are always aghast at having the washing machine in the kitchen, and she was using it as a baseline.

The realtor sounded just like Nandor on FX's What We Do In the Shadows.

[Irlandesa]

13 minutes ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

I'm no doubt outing myself as a pig, but I don't wash my hands after I go to the bathroom in the middle of the night.  I stumble in and stumble out, hoping against hope not to wake up too much.

Ha. I wouldn't be able to sleep if I didn't wash my hands after going to the bathroom.  But to out myself as a germaphobe, my hands are almost chapped right now because how often I'm washing my hands these days.

[Mittengirl]

2 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

my hands are almost chapped right now because how often I'm washing my hands these days.

Goat’s Milk soap is a Godsend in these days of seemingly nonstop hand washing.  Try it, if you haven’t already.

 

Vienna HHer reminded me of someone, but couldn’t figure out who.  I’m thinking maybe a former child actor.

[Grrarrggh]

53 minutes ago, Mittengirl said:

Vienna HHer reminded me of someone, but couldn’t figure out who.  I’m thinking maybe a former child actor.

The actress from Matlida and Mrs Doubtfire?

[buttersister]

Quote

What two dogs? The only dogs I saw were at her office.

At the end, she and her boyfriend were walking two dogs. 

Edited July 30, 2020 by buttersister
Talking isn’t walking

[scrb]

I caught Vienna in the HGTV app. -- curses my DVR.

Would be an interesting story why she would choose a field which had no job prospects at home.  Vienna is very nice but someone from Lisbon may not be so positive on the city from December to February.

Great command of English, which probably opened up this job opportunity for her, because doubtful Portuguese would be of much use in Vienna.  Also got her on HHI!

Agree with everyone, second apt. was best, especially if it was furnished with what was shown.  But sounded like she was making good money for the first time in her life so maybe she appreciates the extra $100.

OK, she liked Pedro but he's not going to move in for a couple of years so why worry about what he says?

 

So are viewers more lenient on these pandemic era HHI episodes because we have to savor the ones which come out once a week or every two weeks?

No signs of masks so probably filmed no later than fall/winter last year.  Though supposedly masks weren't big in Austria during the winter and spring.

[chessiegal]

I would think both HH and HHI stopped production when the pandemic hit. If Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune stopped production, I can't see shows like this being made. 

[CrazyInAlabama]

On the Perth episode (moving from York, PA I think).   The house hunters were so nice and polite, and considering the other person.  A truly refreshing change.   However, does moving everything from the U.S. to Australia make economic sense?   Or will some things not fit the new house anyway so you would replace it?   For once, when the couple were kayaking, it looked like they really knew what they were doing.  

I liked the first house, with the outdoor space.   

 The second house was adorable.    For a 'character' home it was nicely updated, and the kitchen was spectacular.   I love that it had a great outdoor entertaining space, and a nice fence around the pool.  

The third house is so modern. I loved the master bedroom, and the giant pool.  I think that any of the houses would be wonderful. 

However, she's not going to the beach every day, and he's going to work five days a week, so they should have chosen one close to work, and not the beach.    So of course they chose the third house in the burbs.  

[chessiegal]

I laughed at the Perth couple saying they needed room for company. Maybe once. In the first place it's a long trip, and second, Perth is in the middle of nowhere. At least if you're on the east coast, like Sydney, there's plenty to see and do, but Perth, not so much. I went to Australia in 1990 for a professional meeting in Adelaide. I flew to Melbourne first for a few days, took the train to Adelaide for the 5 day meeting and got in some sight seeing there, then flew to Sydney, then Cairns before coming home.

I don't understand them saying they were bringing their furniture - that would cost a fortune. I noticed the same gray sectional sofa in the living room in the after shots.

[blueray]

3 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

On the Perth episode (moving from York, PA I think).   The house hunters were so nice and polite, and considering the other person.  A truly refreshing change.   However, does moving everything from the U.S. to Australia make economic sense?   Or will some things not fit the new house anyway so you would replace it?   For once, when the couple were kayaking, it looked like they really knew what they were doing.  

I liked the first house, with the outdoor space.   

 The second house was adorable.    For a 'character' home it was nicely updated, and the kitchen was spectacular.   I love that it had a great outdoor entertaining space, and a nice fence around the pool.  

The third house is so modern. I loved the master bedroom, and the giant pool.  I think that any of the houses would be wonderful. 

However, she's not going to the beach every day, and he's going to work five days a week, so they should have chosen one close to work, and not the beach.    So of course they chose the third house in the burbs.  

I would have picked the second house. It had charm and was walkable to stores & restaurants. The 3rd house was so cold. I guess I don't like the modern look.

[CrazyInAlabama]

From what I've read, the story lines, and timelines on HHI are total garbage.   Often the people are moving to another country from where they were 'house hunting', or are actually moving back to the U.S.      The goodbye to the U.S. family scenes are actually after they came home, not when they're leaving.   I suspect the Perth couple story line about bringing their own furniture over was fiction. 

Edited July 31, 2020 by CrazyInAlabama

[chessiegal]

A long time ago, I remember folks who were on HHI post that one reason they did the show was HGTV was willing to pay for them to fly home and back to film the telling family they were leaving.

I remember another couple saying none of the 3 places they showed was theirs. They didn't want their place on tv. I think at the, time they were paying folks $1,000 to be on the show.

[StatisticalOutlier]

On 7/30/2020 at 11:10 AM, chessiegal said:

I laughed at the Perth couple saying they needed room for company. Maybe once. In the first place it's a long trip, and second, Perth is in the middle of nowhere. At least if you're on the east coast, like Sydney, there's plenty to see and do, but Perth, not so much.

Interesting.  I know only the basics about Australia, and when I saw in the onscreen description that the episode was in Perth I thought, "Nah."  Probably the same kind of reaction an Australian viewer might have to an episode in Indianapolis.  Also probably not entirely fair.  But not entirely unfair either.

I posted last year about some people I know who showed up on HHI without my expecting it.  "Hey, I know them!"  The episode said they were moving to Mexico, but it was actually a second home; they split their time between there and their house in Denver (which they rent, and the episode said they wanted to quit renting but houses in Denver are super expensive).  And they'd bought the Mexico house a couple of years before the episode was even shot.

And despite this first-hand knowledge about how bogus it is, I still get sucked in. 

[TVForever]

30 minutes ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

Interesting.  I know only the basics about Australia, and when I saw in the onscreen description that the episode was in Perth I thought, "Nah."  Probably the same kind of reaction an Australian viewer might have to an episode in Indianapolis.  Also probably not entirely fair.  But not entirely unfair either.

I posted last year about some people I know who showed up on HHI without my expecting it.  "Hey, I know them!"  The episode said they were moving to Mexico, but it was actually a second home; they split their time between there and their house in Denver (which they rent, and the episode said they wanted to quit renting but houses in Denver are super expensive).  And they'd bought the Mexico house a couple of years before the episode was even shot.

And despite this first-hand knowledge about how bogus it is, I still get sucked in. 

Same. Half the fun of watching this show now is guessing how fake the backstory is, and speculating on what the "real" story might be.

[blueray]

I realize I have fun trying to figure out if the couple is referring to a dog or a kid. Sometimes it isn't always clear lol. And then trying to see if their story in general is consistent. 

[scrb]

Is this Honeymoon in Perth?  My DVR indicates that first aired back in April so it's not a new ep?

[NYGirl]

Why do all the women who move to a different country for a husband's job have to live in the City Center?  It's so annoying.

Luxumbourg.  The husband was so annoying!  Ugh.  I figured they'd take house #3.  I thought #2 was best for them price wise and size wise but it was too sterile for him.  :::insert eye roll::::

Edited August 12, 2020 by NYGirl

[MaKaM]

North Carolina to Zurich. She was too loud overall and I do dislike the trope of the Americans going somewhere and insisting the place be movie-authentic. Like the countries just stayed stuck in time once Hollywood left and kept cooking in kettles in the fireplace or whatever. The "I get my way this time" was also not cute. Even if it was producer-driven, she came off like a pill to live with and so unnecessarily contrary.

That said, I got to spend a day in Zurich on a high school European trip and living there would be a dream. But there is no way I could ever afford 7k a month unless salaries are a huge jump. So dream it must remain.

[buttersister]

Oy, the Zurich couple rerun. The intro in which the wife says, he always wins...and later, at least let me have this one. I never win. I never win.
While their kid thinks she totally controls some stuff. Likely in the most passive aggressive way possible. 

[LittleIggy]

Luxembourg: Why did they need an au pair if the wife didn’t have an outside job? 

[Kiddvideo]

32 minutes ago, MaKaM said:

North Carolina to Zurich. She was too loud overall and I do dislike the trope of the Americans going somewhere and insisting the place be movie-authentic. Like the countries just stayed stuck in time once Hollywood left and kept cooking in kettles in the fireplace or whatever. The "I get my way this time" was also not cute. Even if it was producer-driven, she came off like a pill to live with and so unnecessarily contrary.

A view of the lakes and the Alps?! How much more Swiss could you get, Kristen? She didn’t seem to care about anything her family wanted let alone what they needed. She didn’t want to spend so much time getting her son to/from school, but hey she wanted the single-family home where it’s further to school and (bonus?) her husband would hit his head on door frames. The kid had a better eye on what would work for them. And dinging a place because it didn’t have a microwave for the kid’s daily bag of popcorn? If you can pay $7200/month, you can buy a small microwave.

20 minutes ago, buttersister said:

Oy, the Zurich couple rerun. The intro in which the wife says, he always wins...and later, at least let me have this one. I never win. I never win.
While their kid thinks she totally controls some stuff. Likely in the most passive aggressive way possible. 

I was thinking if he always won it’s because he focuses on the entirety of the situation and not one element to the detriment of everyone including himself.

[crimsongrl]

57 minutes ago, LittleIggy said:

Luxembourg: Why did they need an au pair if the wife didn’t have an outside job? 

I thought the same thing and had to rewind to find out. She worked for an HR consulting company in the US and would be working part time remotely in Luxembourg.

[chessiegal]

I disliked the Luxemburg husband prefacing his thinking with "I'm a scientist", signaling his superior thinking process to the poor non-scientists. I'm a scientist, and I know it affects how I look at every day situations, but I don't go around announcing to people that because I am a chemist I obviously have better reasoning skills. I think I have different reasoning processes, but that doesn't make them superior. I knew a woman in my social club who was a biologist, and whenever she would offer her thoughts on something, 90% of the time it started with the phrase, "I'm a scientist, so...". Really bugged me. 

[StatisticalOutlier]

11 hours ago, NYGirl said:

Why do all the women who move to a different country for a husband's job have to live in the City Center?  It's so annoying.

Maybe because they're not going to be going out to a job every day, and want to be near the action?  Of course they could get on a bus or train and get to the city center, but that's a lot different from being there already and just walking out their door.

When I used to go to New York City, I always stayed in hotels in midtown, and I once lived right by Washington Square Park for three months.  Now when I go, I stay in Jersey City.  It's a pleasant 15-minute walk to the PATH train and only a couple of stops to get to Manhattan, but psychologically, it's a world of difference. 

[absnow54]

1 hour ago, chessiegal said:

I disliked the Luxemburg husband prefacing his thinking with "I'm a scientist", signaling his superior thinking process to the poor non-scientists.

Especially when his scientific nature prevented him from understanding what a wet room is...

23 minutes ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

Maybe because they're not going to be going out to a job every day, and want to be near the action?  Of course they could get on a bus or train and get to the city center, but that's a lot different from being there already and just walking out their door.

I imagine living in a foreign country is extremely isolating, and being in the city center encourages socializing. I wouldn’t want to be wrangling a bunch of young children on and off public transit every day. 

Edited August 12, 2020 by absnow54

[blueray]

10 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

Luxembourg: Why did they need an au pair if the wife didn’t have an outside job? 

I was confused who that woman was. Did they say she was an au pair because I completely missed that. I thought she was seriously there to watch the kids while they filmed the episode. Which make sense since they had 3 young kids that weren't going to "participate" in the search. Maybe she was just a babysitter that got to appear in the episode because she was with the kids. There was no mention that she would live with them or anything.

As for living the city "center". I agree with it. If the husband is off working and the wife is home with young kids. It would be nice to be walkable to stores, parks and restaurants. She is temperately moving to another country where they don't know anyone. It would be nice to be near people as it would be easier to make friends plus a safety factor as well.  Not so much this episode but I've seen others where a parent fixates on the privacy or view and forgets that he (or she) would be essentially stranding their family somewhere without any social interaction or safety. 

[biakbiak]

1 hour ago, blueray said:

Did they say she was an au pair because I completely missed that

Yes they mentioned it in their interview with the realtor and stated that she would need her own room. When they showed her at the airport that was her title on the chyron. 

Hell if I was moving to a new country with three young kids I would want an au pair even if I wasn’t working! But yes she was planning on working remotely part time. 

Edited August 12, 2020 by biakbiak

[Irlandesa]

1 hour ago, absnow54 said:

I imagine living in a foreign country is extremely isolating, and being in the city center encourages socializing. I wouldn’t want to be wrangling a bunch of young children on and off public transit every day.

Exactly.  And the deeper one gets into the suburbs, the further away access to public transit can be.  Instead of a block or two (as in the city) it can be a half a mile or more.  Adults could do it (although I still get why they'd prefer to be in the city) but with kids, it'd be tough.  Even if they're big enough to walk that distance on the way to going into town, what happens when they're tired at the end of the day?

[eel21788]

14 hours ago, Kiddvideo said:

 And dinging a place because it didn’t have a microwave for the kid’s daily bag of popcorn? If you can pay $7200/month, you can buy a small microwave.

Did they realize that it is also possible to make popcorn without a microwave? 

[Irlandesa]

14 minutes ago, eel21788 said:

Did they realize that it is also possible to make popcorn without a microwave? 

Yep.  Even microwave popcorn.  My microwave stopped working and I wanted popcorn.  So I opened up a bag, threw it in a pot (you don't need anything else) and made it on the stove.