House Hunters International - General Discussion

[Grrarrggh]

6 hours ago, chessiegal said:

Absolutely. I'm a retired federal employee, and it's a delightful guarantee. Which also includes reasonable cost health insurance, can't be turned away.

And federal law enforcement agents can retire after 20 years. I had to work longer.

He might have also gotten money from the 9/11 fund. 

[aghst]

On 7/29/2021 at 9:38 PM, LittleIggy said:

Loved the realtor in Valencia! He was funny and a silver fox. As a retired FBI agent, wouldn’t Steve have a pension?

 

16 hours ago, chessiegal said:

Absolutely. I'm a retired federal employee, and it's a delightful guarantee. Which also includes reasonable cost health insurance, can't be turned away.

And federal law enforcement agents can retire after 20 years. I had to work longer.

Maybe they're maintaining their home back in Virginia.

And by the housing market in VA, the $2400 they're paying is probably a lot lower than what they were paying back home, unless they've paid off that home already.

They'd have to pay utilities, property taxes and other incidentals to keep a home back in the US.  Or maybe they're helping out their kids too.

They said they'd stay one year and then think about applying for citizenship so this could just be a trial for them.  Especially if he has to come back to see his doctors in the US to check up on his cancer.

But the home they chose, seems to be more for the longer term, with her plans to have her whole family over.  If they were staying one year, the children would visit them maybe once or twice at the most?

If they stay longer than a year, then the bigger space would make more sense.

I suspect they had better resources than he let on, so they can easily afford this apartment.  Plus they're not talking about living an expensive lifestyle like traveling every weekend or every other weekend, like some other HHs have talked about doing once they're in Europe.

The home they chose is a great value for the money.  Thing that would add costs is getting  a car for frequent road trips, because the parking in the center of an old European city can get very expensive.

It's interesting that many of the Spain episodes seem to gravitate to Valencia.  Probably more affordable than Madrid and Barcelona, better weather than Madrid, maybe not as convenient for flying in and out of, especially from the US, as those other cities.

 

[chocolatine]

On 7/28/2021 at 9:44 PM, LittleIggy said:

Perth: If the fiancée is hoping that she and her man will get their own place once they get married, she may be in for a rude awakening!

I thought the brothers were very cute, but I felt bad for the fiancée as well. They said they planned to have seven people living on the same property: the three brothers, first brother's fiancée, and second brother's girlfriend in the main house, all sharing one bathroom, and the parents in the yet-to-be-built in-law unit. I'm also from Eastern Europe and grew up in the close family bonds, multi-generational living culture, but that would be too much closeness even for me.

I think this plan *has* to be temporary, because as soon as one of the couples start having kids, they'll run out of space. Probably the real plan is that it's just the parents and the oldest son buying the property (they mentioned in the intro that the parents are contributing a large chunk of the money, and the older brother is the only one with a full-time job), and that the two younger brothers will be living there just for a couple of years until they can afford to buy or rent places of their own.

[Grizzly]

Amsterdam. I'm not sure I'd leave Hawaii to live in Amsterdam. But I guess when you're young and unencumbered, try it. Is Allison wearing mom jeans? It's fun how well she and Sarah get along. Can't believe she thinks she could make that cramped boat work. #3 had the best space but those stairs. I was thinking she could get a job to pay the extra $100.

[LittleIggy]

Amsterdam: I didn’t think Option 2 looked dark. She must be an only child if her parents are paying her rent for her when she is 25. Wonder who paid for all her trips abroad?

[Grizzly]

14 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

Amsterdam: I didn’t think Option 2 looked dark. She must be an only child if her parents are paying her rent for her when she is 25. Wonder who paid for all her trips abroad?

Not that there's anything wrong with being an only child and living at your parents' till you're 24. 😉

[Grrarrggh]

Amsterdam hunter, between surviving cancer and having a family that doesn't exactly look poor (Honolulu is expensive) I don't blame her or her family. And she wasn't asking for 3k a month or something. Plus, she's going to school and working. Seems good to me. 

[Texasmom1970]

Amsterdam house hunter. I did not think much about her living with her parents or them helping her because my 22 year old she lives with me. 

My youngest daughter passed away three years ago, she was 12. It makes us want to spend more time together because we know how precious it is and I know she will be off on her own soon.

[LittleIggy]

PV: Nice to see Taniel again. I like him. I think they made the right choice. It’s a vacation home. One bedroom/one bath is sufficient for that purpose.

[StatisticalOutlier]

On 8/3/2021 at 10:01 PM, Grizzly said:

Amsterdam. I'm not sure I'd leave Hawaii to live in Amsterdam. But I guess when you're young and unencumbered, try it. Is Allison wearing mom jeans?

I think that's the new style--high-waisted.

On 8/3/2021 at 10:01 PM, Grizzly said:

It's fun how well she and Sarah get along. Can't believe she thinks she could make that cramped boat work. #3 had the best space but those stairs. I was thinking she could get a job to pay the extra $100.

I'm normally an optimist when it comes to stairs--I figure it might be worth the effort for the right apartment (especially not having neighbors above me), and it's probably good for me, etc.  But I'm now into my third week hobbling around on an injured ankle and was obviously thinking about that when watching this episode.  Last time this happened, I lived on the second floor and was able to one-leg-hop those 16 steps, but I don't think I could have handled another flight, never mind more flights of Amsterdam stairs.

Of course, I wasn't 25 then, or now.

On 8/3/2021 at 11:40 PM, LittleIggy said:

Amsterdam: I didn’t think Option 2 looked dark.

I didn't either.  And really, the living room had that wall of windows, so it was the kitchen and bedroom that were dark.  And probably the bathroom, but I think this was another episode where they don't show the bathrooms, except on the boat.

But I have no problem with a dark bedroom, and might actually prefer it. 

On 8/3/2021 at 11:40 PM, LittleIggy said:

She must be an only child if her parents are paying her rent for her when she is 25.

Or she's one of a bunch of kids and her parents are paying the rent for all of them.  Or her parents support the kids if they're in school, as @Grrarrggh suggested.

I'm just glad somebody finally admitted it, on a show that is often opaque when it comes to how do these people manage it.

 

[cinsays]

1 hour ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

I think that's the new style--high-waisted.

I'm normally an optimist when it comes to stairs--I figure it might be worth the effort for the right apartment (especially not having neighbors above me), and it's probably good for me, etc.  But I'm now into my third week hobbling around on an injured ankle and was obviously thinking about that when watching this episode.  Last time this happened, I lived on the second floor and was able to one-leg-hop those 16 steps, but I don't think I could have handled another flight, never mind more flights of Amsterdam stairs.

 

and what about when the parents come over to visit?  are they going to want to go up and down those stairs more than once?

[TVForever]

5 minutes ago, cinsays said:

and what about when the parents come over to visit?  are they going to want to go up and down those stairs more than once?

No way. Mom and Dad are going to get their own hotel room/airbnb when they visit. A sixth floor walk up where the stairs get steeper and more shallow as you go higher? That's not for middle aged knees!!

[ArtFossil]

On 8/4/2021 at 5:31 PM, Grrarrggh said:

Amsterdam hunter, between surviving cancer and having a family that doesn't exactly look poor (Honolulu is expensive) I don't blame her or her family. And she wasn't asking for 3k a month or something. Plus, she's going to school and working. Seems good to me. 

I just wish someone would tell Alison the photographer about the rule of thirds. 

(Petty and proud.)

ETA: $1700 a month in rent her parents are paying. $20,400 a year! Being supported by her parents does not make Alison "adventurous" (her term).

Edited August 6, 2021 by ArtFossil

[buttersister]

I’m not a big fan of this Phuket pair. Mostly loathing her. YOU MISSED MY BATHTUB, she complained twice about #2, while admiring its big swimming pool. That they chose. Because he made such a good case for. And they agreed #3 was crap (because they hated a guest room?!) and #1 was over budget and looked like a bad acid trip.

[StatisticalOutlier]

3 hours ago, ArtFossil said:

I just wish someone would tell Alison the photographer about the rule of thirds. 

(Petty and proud.)

Heh.  I hadn't noticed.

A tangent:  Once Mr. Outlier and I were at Thorncrown Chapel near Eureka Springs, Arkansas.

A couple came up to me and asked me to take their picture, and I pointed at Mr. O and said, "No, have him do it."  He's all about the rule of thirds and other good photography techniques.

He positioned them [ETA: not in the center, like most people would] and took the photo and handed them back their camera.  They looked at the picture and both said "Wow!"

Quote

ETA: $1700 a month in rent her parents are paying. $20,400 a year! Being supported by her parents does not make Alison "adventurous" (her term).

I think she's adventurous.  Even with enough money, it's still a challenge to move to a different country by yourself, especially where you don't speak the language.  Being in school or having a job lined up helps make the transition a little easier, but it's still something that a whole lot of people would never even consider doing, regardless of their finances.

Edited August 6, 2021 by StatisticalOutlier

[LittleIggy]

1 hour ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

I think she's adventurous.  Even with enough money, it's still a challenge to move to a different country by yourself, especially where you don't speak the language.  Being in school or having a job lined up helps make the transition a little easier, but it's still something that a whole lot of people would never even consider doing, regardless of their finances.

At least a lot of people speak English there. I moved to China to teach English at a college in Sichuan province. Not a tourist area. Outside of the college, few people spoke English.

[Rootbeer]

14 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

At least a lot of people speak English there. I moved to China to teach English at a college in Sichuan province. Not a tourist area. Outside of the college, few people spoke English.

Yeah, I have a hard time considering moving to a developed European nation where many people speak English to be all that 'adventurous'.  She was moving to attend school for a finite period of time and her parents were providing her with significant financial support.  Not all that adventurous.  She's got a very large safety net in both the place she chose, the situation she chose and in her parents willingness to support her financially.

They did show photos of her zip lining somewhere, but, once again, not that adventurous an endeavor, to me.

Surviving cancer is certainly adventurous though.

[Grrarrggh]

Phuket hunter reminded me sooooo much of actress Nicola Walker. 

[LittleIggy]

Phuket: I was surprised by their rather high (judging by prior HHI forays into Thailand). Didn’t she say her father owned restaurants in Shanghai? Maybe he was investing in their business.

[aghst]

I thought Amsterdam Alison had a great attitude about the house boat but she was talking too much about iconic and Dutch charm.

Those tall canal houses are picturesque but unless you have a big budget, you have to deal with cramped spaces and steep stairs.  In other European countries, they retrofit these tiny elevators into tall buildings from 19th century or older.

But the canal houses in Amsterdam are narrow so there's really no space to put in more shallow stairs or an elevator.  IIRC, they were taxed on width so they kept them narrow.

The two times I've been to Amsterdam, I've stayed in vacation rentals and in one, they said not to flush anything but toilet paper because they were beneath the water line.

But they had some other funky features like a WC with a very tiny sink.

I think the $100 was worth it to get what most of what she wanted and she said she got a job to cover it.

I didn't think there were travel blogs any more.  Seems like that's been supplanted by IG and Youtube channels featuring attractive young women being photographed in scenic locations, often in bikinis or with professional hair and makeup and nice photo lighting.

Seems like there are a fair number of them who make good money doing that so maybe Alison will look at monetizing travels.  Though if she gets a good degree, that's a worthwhile path.

 

[Gam2]

When we were stationed in Germany with the Army in the late 1980’s, we went to Amsterdam on vacation along with our two children and our son’s best friend from the US. We rented two bedrooms in a family home right on the canal. They had the steepest, most windy stairs we’d ever seen! We had one bathroom that we all shared which was the tiniest bathroom we’d ever seen. We were out all day and in our rooms after dinner because we were so tired. The family whose home we stayed in were the nicest people who would often bring up sandwiches later in the evening because we had two teenage boys and they knew they’d be hungry. It was a great time and we loved our host family. We saw lots of prostitution and drugs deals-ha. The kids were very impressed!!

[Cetacean]

Toronto to Malaga. 

Oh my lord, the upspeak.  Had to mute it or I will never get through it.

[Grizzly]

Malaga, Spain. Wow to that first apartment. Does Amara even speak Spanish? Or is that not a job criteria? We're seeing a lot of spoiled young ladies looking for adventure lately. Surprising trend during a pandemic. She'll make friends at work. These apartments are really spacious for Europe or is it because this isn't a major city? Glad she chose the beach, people will come to her.

[buttersister]

Apparently Spain bans a number of dog breeds. Betting Mango’s on that list? 

Amara said she spoke Spanish. She also said she was sick of the urban scene in Toronto so wasn’t such a mystery which place she’d rent. And there won’t be a lot of socializing just yet—there’s a reason her “friend“ wasn’t going around with her—or a lot of people socializing anywhere.

[Kiddvideo]

New Zealand, Daniel and Emma: At the end when they were discussing which house, he looked so disappointed she was pushing for the 3rd house. I felt so badly for him. And regardless of what she said after the reveal, he was not loving house #3. 

[LittleIggy]

1 hour ago, buttersister said:

Apparently Spain bans a number of dog breeds. Betting Mango’s on that list? 

Amara said she spoke Spanish. She also said she was sick of the urban scene in Toronto so wasn’t such a mystery which place she’d rent. And there won’t be a lot of socializing just yet—there’s a reason her “friend“ wasn’t going around with her—or a lot of people socializing anywhere.

I thought she said she decided on Spain so that she could learn Spanish. The place she picked was ideal especially since it was close to work. Loved her auburn hair.

[buttersister]

I thought she’d studied Spanish so that’s why she picked Spain. But then, I thought as a new ep it’d be recorded—doesn’t look like it, DVR.

[Dehumidifier]

11 hours ago, Grizzly said:

Malaga, Spain. Wow to that first apartment. Does Amara even speak Spanish? Or is that not a job criteria? We're seeing a lot of spoiled young ladies looking for adventure lately. Surprising trend during a pandemic. She'll make friends at work. These apartments are really spacious for Europe or is it because this isn't a major city? Glad she chose the beach, people will come to her.

She didn't seem so spoiled to me. She said she had worked two jobs in order to pay off her student debt and was determined to not touch her savings. I thought she was very nice. 

[Grrarrggh]

12 hours ago, buttersister said:

Apparently Spain bans a number of dog breeds. Betting Mango’s on that list? 

They don't ban Boxers. 

[biakbiak]

10 minutes ago, Grrarrggh said:

They don't ban Boxers. 

They don’t actually ban any dogs. They specify a list of breeds that have to be registered and have requirements for being in public (ie being muzzled).

Edited August 11, 2021 by biakbiak

[Grizzly]

4 hours ago, Dehumidifier said:

She didn't seem so spoiled to me. 

I thought she called herself spoiled. I could be mistaken.

[Grrarrggh]

15 minutes ago, Grizzly said:

I thought she called herself spoiled. I could be mistaken.

She did but it was because she didn't have to pay rent or grocery shop for the time she was living with her parents. It was sort of like the opposite of a humble brag. 

[buttersister]

Quote

a list of breeds

Got it, thanks. I see that now -- but don't want to reopen the nanny vs. terror can o' worms;-)

All in all, I think the producers struggled for drama with Amara. She had a plan. A solid plan, which she stuck to on multiple levels. Did she live rent free courtesy of her parents? Yep, and she paid off her student loan debt. She's working to take Mango off her parents' hands, although I like to think they don't mind having the dog around. Determined to stay on budget and not be in urban chaos, it was obvious which place she'd pick, so good luck making that suspenseful. 300+ days of sunshine? Nice.

[Ambrosefolly]

11 hours ago, Dehumidifier said:

She didn't seem so spoiled to me. She said she had worked two jobs in order to pay off her student debt and was determined to not touch her savings. I thought she was very nice. 

I liked her because she seemed to have a good head on her shoulders, but that uptal/vocal fry almost killed me. 

[Grizzly]

Cumbria, England. The daughter is pretty but needs to butt out. She's not the one paying or living there. Prue has made it this far in life without daughter's advice. The realtor is another silver fox. Natayla is worried #1 will have expensive upkeep but doesn't bat an eye at #2 being 180k over budget? I'm glad Prue got what she wanted. She seems like a good egg, as the British might say.

[aghst]

She also volunteered at that dog shelter.

Probably wanted to strike out on her own so she went all the way to Spain, which had a program to recruit native English speakers to teach English.  She said she got randomly placed in Malaga.  Obviously not as glamorous or well known as Madrid or Barcelona but probably a lot more affordable and great if you want sun and beach.

probably good fortune for a Canadian to have a big change in scenery.

[biakbiak]

6 hours ago, Grizzly said:

Natayla is worried #1 will have expensive upkeep but doesn't bat an eye at #2 being 180k over budget? I

Prue seemed just as nonsensical in her critique of that place’s kitchen which had a lot of cabinets but she said twice that it lacked storage. I think it had more to do with creating reasons for the choice when the other two weren’t actually option. When they actually went through the pros and cons of the one she went with both totally agreed, the daughter just “fought” for the out of price range one to make it seem more balanced. 

[Grrarrggh]

I loved Prue and her daughter. You could see that they really had a great relationship. My Mom and MIL are always asking us to be devil's advocate for them, just like Natalya. I did have to laugh at some of the "negatives" she came up with though. 

The agent looked like he was in livery to me with that red waistcoat. 

[jacksgirl]

Shhh. Hubby and I watch new episodes  (a day or 2 late) while eating dinner on these disgusting days when it's too hot to go on patio.  I always spoil the selected home on this forum so I "guess" correctly which house was picked. To keep on topic, I want Amara's hair in Malaga.

[Grizzly]

Sunshine Coast, Australia. KK is a pain in the ass. You could do a drinking game with the word "far". Nancy seems like a cool chick. I'm really liking Lucas. Yay, she stayed on budget. So that lift she added to the garage. How do you get the car down if the motorcycles are parked below it?

[LittleIggy]

I love Lucas! He’s funny and a silver fox. KK acted as if she wanted more than friendship with Nancy. I noticed Nancy didn’t mention her after the choice reveal.

[Pine]

KK was annoyingly clingy.  If I was in that situation, I would go as far away as possible.  :)  

[Cetacean]

3 hours ago, Pine said:

KK was annoyingly clingy.  If I was in that situation, I would go as far away as possible.  :)  

I am hoping that was producer driven.  I mean "I will have to pack a lunch" for half hour drive is just silly.  It's not like she lived 4 hours away.

[proserpina65]

On 4/22/2021 at 12:29 AM, Grrarrggh said:

Why? So she can fit someone else's standards of "beauty"?

Teeth are very important to one's health.  That's a damned good reason.

On 4/30/2021 at 1:27 PM, Grrarrggh said:

The Anchorage transplant to NZ is going to get a bit of a shock if she thinks there's nothing in nature to kill her there. I wonder if she had SAD, since light seemed soooo important. 

Certainly not compared to Australia.  In NZ, she's more like to die after being hit by a car than from some kind of animal encounter.  (Trust me, I've spend a lot of time looking up possibly deadly animals in NZ and finding almost none except sharks and jellyfish.)

On 5/6/2021 at 11:03 PM, Grizzly said:

Marlborough, NZ. Sometimes I'd like to see the house that these people come from. When tastes are so opposite, who won the last time? The man is a carpenter, how can she hate wood? Funny how he equates modern with bland. Glad the dog got the big yard.

Modern is bland.  There's no such thing as too much wood as long as it's quality wood.  I'd have taken the first place in a heartbeat and taken the dog for lots of walks.

On 4/30/2021 at 6:32 PM, aghst said:

Not sure about insects.  Australia has poisonous spiders and snakes.

New Zealand does not, according to every source I've consulted.

 

[StatisticalOutlier]

18 hours ago, Grizzly said:

Sunshine Coast, Australia.

A tidbit:  Noosa yogurt is named after the Noosa in this episode.  The founder of the company is from there and lives in Colorado and started the company in Boulder.  I met her parents a few years ago, who when they visit her, live in a motorhome that has the Noosa logo all over it.  Naturally, I had to ask them, "What's up with the yogurt mobile?" and they gave me the scoop.

Actually, I just checked the website to make sure they weren't blowing smoke.  They weren't, but I found out that Noosa yogurt uses bovine gelatin, so it's no bueno for vegetarians.  I had no idea.  I just focus on that it's made with whole milk, which makes it ultra delicious.

18 hours ago, Grizzly said:

So that lift she added to the garage. How do you get the car down if the motorcycles are parked below it?

My DVR cut off right before it showed which one she picked.  She added a lift for the car?  Mr. Outlier's always said he wants one if we ever get a garage (so he can work on the car, not park stuff under it), and I assumed they were hugely and possibly prohibitively expensive.  I'm glad he wasn't watching this episode.

[SillyServal]

Cumbria. Why does Natalya have an American accent? Something doesn’t add up there.

[Grrarrggh]

12 hours ago, SillyServal said:

Cumbria. Why does Natalya have an American accent? Something doesn’t add up there.

Why? She could have gone to international schools in Singapore or boarded in the States. 

[aghst]

In the Sunshine Coast ep, the Hinterlands is about 10 kms inland?

That shouldn't' take that long to drive unless the road winds rather than go straight perpendicular to the coast.

In any event, she wanted to be close to the water and stay on budget so makes sense.

If we ever get to travel to Australia again, Noosa seems like an interesting place. Two hours drive from Brisbane so maybe a good way to see both.

[kirklandia]

On 7/22/2021 at 1:28 AM, Kenzie said:

Yes, that was a 2012 episode of No Reservations shot in Malaysia. Living communally in close quarters in that traditional long house would have to either take a lot of respect for privacy or a very open attitude to the lack of privacy. I still miss Tony. 

I appreciated your answer very much! And had I just waited a little bit longer, I could have found it for myself in the chapter on Malaysia in Anthony Bourdain: World Travel (I just got my long-awaited copy from the library). I learned that tourists can actually visit/stay at some of the longhouses in Borneo.  They included a link to this site.

[seacliffsal]

Sunshine Coast-that first house was wonderful and would be worth it even if one's guests had to pack a lunch in order to visit 🙂

Not only did the other two only have one-car garages, but they would each have an HOA (or something) which would add to the expense of living there.