House Hunters International - General Discussion

[LittleIggy]

I know I get tired of people saying they want a place with “(fill in the country) charm,” but when I saw the place the AF couple chose, I thought “But it has no Italian charm!” ?

[mojito]

Air Force, Italy

I kind of chuckled at a couple things the husband said. One, I believe he referred to a brown-yellow-black granite counter top as "marble". Two, he commented on a house color being "intestinal pink".  At the end, he was sporting a Pepto Bismol-colored sweater. (I like pink, so both were fine with me.)

Nice enough couple.

[Pickles]

Watching the Australian episode. I am kind of loving this real estate agent. Lol!

[Kohola3]

Norfolk Island realtor was a hoot!  He said aloud what I bet 99% of the realtors we've seen would love to say.  "These two are driving me nuts" - ha!

[doodlebug]

5 minutes ago, Kohola3 said:

Norfolk Island realtor was a hoot!  He said aloud what I bet 99% of the realtors we've seen would love to say.  "These two are driving me nuts" - ha!

He was an eye rolling wonder, loved him!  The two ladies doing the househunting were quite a pair, though, they complained about everything even after he told them they weren't going to get what they wanted at their price point.  The one who kept griping about needing a massive amount of 'art space' to pursue her hobby was a real pill.  I'm always amazed at the buyers who get shirty with the realtor because they don't have enough money to get everything they want. Like he said, they wanted a million dollar house for 300 grand, and it just wasn't ever going to happen.

[LittleIggy]

Yeah, I loved that realtor, too! Those old birds would have driven me nuts, too. The art studio lady needs to get her nephew (I think it was her nephew) to help build the studio. That blue ocean ? was heavenly.

[biakbiak]

I hated the realtor. He didn’t appear to know what “cosmetic” means. At one point he called the floor which had collapsed as not a big deal.

Edited June 8, 2018 by biakbiak

[aguabella]

On 5/27/2018 at 12:46 PM, debraran said:

I think they have to have a place to apply but they don't pick from the 3 shown for sure. There is a great HHI England "behind the scenes" on youtube that tells what it was like for that couple. They get paid a small amount, maybe 1000, but it's mainly for publicity and just being on TV. Seemed like a lot of work for that family since they had a kid, although the moving of furniture etc was done by company.

I think they do a disservice by showing people going to countries that aren't that lax without jobs etc. or vague backgrounds but again, they must want some privacy and the ones with companies or airbnb's make sure you can google and find them. (re the guy with the houseboat in Netherlands for instance)

This participant is like "who cares it is fake" but I'm sure some do. It is that hard to have more factual shows?https://xpatmatt.com/house-hunters-international-is-fake-so-what/

Another behind the scene blog https://medium.com/@natemlambert/what-was-real-and-what-was-fake-d053b511c1c9

Just the thought of moving my furniture out of my house and back in, even if I didn't do it is exhausting to me. ; )

Good comment, debraran. Yes, like each of these synopsis, the youtube only explains how "that couple" felt about their episode.  Reading so many of these over the years, it's clear things differ from film crew to film crew, geographical area to area, year to year, person to person, type of house to ...

Some do care about the "reality" of the episode.  Considering that they film 40+ hours per episode, should they work harder?  They're answering to corporate America, i.e. the stockholders.  They'll cut corners wherever and whenever they can to crank up that bonus.

Correct me if I'm wrong but did Nate say "my episode wasn't fake" and then matter-of-factly explain each and every staged bit? (lol) Clicked on it a second time and it demanded an email address so had to pass.  Someone's trying to advertise his travel agency, blog, ...

Personally, long ago I accepted the reality that reality television is, uh, not reality!  Every time I've checked they all had jobs, hadn't sold everything, were just setting up a vacay home / rental, were on an 18-mo sabbatical or s/t assignment with the same employer ... and on and on, lol.

[Kohola3]

5 hours ago, aguabella said:

Personally, long ago I accepted the reality that reality television is, uh, not reality!

Lawd, yes.  How "real" can any of the shows be with a full film crew following you around all day?  That goes for all of the fake reality stuff with little people, polygamists, never-before-seen fiancees, etc.  They are all scripted to a certain amount.

[aguabella]

1 hour ago, Kohola3 said:

Lawd, yes.  How "real" can any of the shows be with a full film crew following you around all day?  That goes for all of the fake reality stuff with little people, polygamists, never-before-seen fiancees, etc.  They are all scripted to a certain amount.

Ugh, those other groups must explain why so many of us follow a simple, predictable lil' house-hunting show!

Never saw any of it, thankfully, but didn't one of the K family marry for 60 days or something, strictly for the cameras / $$$?  OMG!

[Irlandesa]

The Norfolk Island episode is the epitome of one of the reasons I watch this show. I didn't particularly care for the houses and the women were rather picky but I don't believe I had ever heard of Norfolk Island and it's different from anything I would have thought of when I think of Australian--the deep blue sea that had a bit of a tropical look mixed with the pine trees which I associate with more northern locales. 

I was reading a bit about it and it sounds like the kind of place that would be the perfect location for a quirky dramedy about a big town person trying to adjust to the island where everyone knows everyone.

[LittleIggy]

MN to Cambridge: I liked when the husband said something to the effect that the English charm inside the house didn’t really matter to him. Exactly. There is “English charm” all around when you step out the door. Hope they went to the Brit equivalent of Home Depot and bought a new toilet seat. BTW, the wife said she got a tutoring job. Tutoring what exactly?  Doesn’t Cambridge have enough tutors? 

Punter guy was cute. ?

[Bronx Babe]

13 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

MN to Cambridge: I liked when the husband said something to the effect that the English charm inside the house didn’t really matter to him. Exactly. There is “English charm” all around when you step out the door. Hope they went to the Brit equivalent of Home Depot and bought a new toilet seat. BTW, the wife said she got a tutoring job. Tutoring what exactly?  Doesn’t Cambridge have enough tutors? 

Punter guy was cute. ?

297 references to "English charm" in this episode.

I thought I'd go mad.

Hubby was pursuing a PhD but didn't seem very bright to me.

[Tony]

I don't think I've ever seen an episode of HH/HHI where the agent hates the buyers as much as the latest one in Norfolk island, Australia. That agent was seething with rage for those two women. He didn't hold back at all in his talking heads. Can't say I blame him tho. Those two were annoying. I'd fire myself within minutes of working with them if I were their agent.

[Pickles]

MN to Cambridge. The wife was definitely in charge in that marriage. She seemed to speak about her husband as if he was a child. The husband was one of those people who always smiles when he talks. Lol. I didn't think either of them came off very well. 

[Neurochick]

On 5/8/2018 at 6:35 AM, biakbiak said:

I am floored that they went with the no tv, no internet, no air conditioning house in Chaing Mai, I assumed it was a red herring because the no internet particularly seemed extreme when they said they talked everyday he was in Afghanistan and being so far away from their family in Pittsburgh. 

They could also get a projector and get DVDs for cheap without having cable. 

I found the wife to be a selfish witch.

[slasherboy]

On 6/8/2018 at 8:33 PM, Irlandesa said:

The Norfolk Island episode is the epitome of one of the reasons I watch this show. I didn't particularly care for the houses and the women were rather picky but I don't believe I had ever heard of Norfolk Island and it's different from anything I would have thought of when I think of Australian--the deep blue sea that had a bit of a tropical look mixed with the pine trees which I associate with more northern locales. 

I was reading a bit about it and it sounds like the kind of place that would be the perfect location for a quirky dramedy about a big town person trying to adjust to the island where everyone knows everyone.

Kind of like "Northern Exposure" in the tropics?  I like it!!  Rob Lowe would be the perfect "big town person", don't you think?

[OFDgal]

On ‎6‎/‎9‎/‎2018 at 2:28 PM, Bronx Babe said:

297 references to "English charm" in this episode.

I thought I'd go mad.

Hubby was pursuing a PhD but didn't seem very bright to me.

Ditto.  Every time she said it I thought, If she says it again, I'm going to scream.  And then she did!  I wanted to punch the tv. 

[LittleIggy]

Chicago to Spain: going to be shallow to start...What was with the hair? She looked like a natural redhead, being so fair, so I don’t get that garish hair color. And she looked as if she was wearing a bathrobe or housedress of some kind. Anyway, that “kitchen” was ridiculous in the place with the gorgeous views. Was there even a refrigerator? Very strange in what the realtor said was two apartments combined into one.

Guess mom wasn’t going to work. Never mentioned it. Tragic about her husband.

[chocolatine]

I thought Norfolk Island realtor was very rude. Yes, the two women are picky, but if you don't like dealing with picky people, don't become a realtor. I also got a misogynist vibe from him. I doubt he would have complained quite as much if it had been a male client who wanted an art studio. The island looks spectacular though, so I watched the whole episode even though both the HHs and the realtor annoyed me.

[Kohola3]

8 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

Guess mom wasn’t going to work. Never mentioned it. Tragic about her husband.

And hopefully she had good insurance and they also sold the Chicago place for a pretty penny which I assume that she did.

I admit being distracted by the hair and bathrobe look which was exactly how I thought it looked.

They combined two apartments and ended up with that so-called kitchen?  That was just bizarre!  I am not picky but even I couldn't work in that space. 

She never mentioned having guests;  you'd think her family would want to come and be supportive unless she doesn't want to see them or something.  Looks like a pretty city.  Normally they show the kids speaking their new language and there was talk of an American school so "immersion into the culture" didn't seem to be a big part of the move.

[sempervivum]

2 hours ago, Kohola3 said:

you'd think her family would want to come and be supportive unless she doesn't want to see them or something. 

I missed the beginning of this episode and didn't hear how the husband died. However, I'm going to be judgey anyway- your kids just went through the worst trauma they'll (hopefully) ever experience and your solution is to remove them from their school, family, friends and familiar surroundings? I could see a brief time out in a different place, but 'Mediterranean paradise' seems more like an adult fantasy of escape. 

And who would tramp around a hot city wearing a big heavy looking dress with closed-toe heeled mary jane pumps? She had a beautiful face, but that hair looked like a fright wig- it reminded me of the alien girl in 'The Fifth Element'.

[Kohola3]

2 minutes ago, sempervivum said:

However, I'm going to be judgey anyway- your kids just went through the worst trauma they'll (hopefully) ever experience and your solution is to remove them from their school, family, friends and familiar surroundings?

I thought of that as well.  The kids seemed to be doing OK (at least on camera) but I did wonder about pulling them away from everyone and every place they had never known.

They didn't say how he died, just that it happened suddenly.  If I am not mistaken, it was a year previous to this move.

[LittleIggy]

I believe I heard a mention of a heart attack.

[biakbiak]

Based on the pictures they showed of the kids with their father it seems there were a few years between his death and the move. Either way the kids seemed fine.

[jcbrown]

She looked like clown, between the bathrobes, the scary hair, and the spackled on blush and lipstick. I hope they're happy.

[Ohwell]

6 minutes ago, jcbrown said:

She looked like clown, between the bathrobes, the scary hair, and the spackled on blush and lipstick. I hope they're happy.

I did wonder if she had rosacea on her cheeks, but yeah, otherwise, she did look like a clown.

[jcbrown]

39 minutes ago, Ohwell said:

I did wonder if she had rosacea on her cheeks, but yeah, otherwise, she did look like a clown.

It did not look like rosacea to me, at least not like rosacea looks on my face, and she certainly had a full face of makeup otherwise.

She said something at the beginning of one of the segments about someone being "one of my wine consultants" that made me wonder if she was going to do something for work related to wine, but maybe she just meant someone who was helping to educate her.

[Ohwell]

2 minutes ago, jcbrown said:

It did not look like rosacea to me, at least not like rosacea looks on my face, and she certainly had a full face of makeup otherwise.

The reason I wondered about it is that there's a character on the British show Eastenders and his cheeks look like hers and it doesn't look like makeup, it looks like rosacea.  

[Lemons]

On 6/5/2018 at 10:48 AM, mojito said:

. I've been surprised to see Americans moving to Nicaragua on HHI, which is not looking too steady on its feet with good old Daniel Ortega still involved in the mix some 40 years later. (Anyone remember the Sandinistas? Iran-Contra Affair?)  Nicaragua is currently in a crisis state.  All this to say that I'm still leery of the "previous" lawlessness of places like Nicaragua and Colombia, and I'd look to other places to retire south of the border.

 

I'm surprised when I see people buy in Nicaragua and a few other countries.  They don't seem to understand that it's not like the US.  Your "deed" to your property won't mean shit when there's a military coup.  

[chocolatine]

Rosacea or not, Sitges HH is so fair-skinned that I wonder how much of the Mediterranean sunshine she can really enjoy. She'll have to slather herself in SPF 50 head to toe, multiple times a day.

Oh, and I would have accepted the awkward kitchen in return for the spectacular views and proximity to the beach. I'm not much of a cook anyway, and having a tiny kitchen would be an excuse to frequent the local restaurants. Win-win.

[CherryAmes]

Just watching one now with the couple moving from the US to London, England by way of Denmark.   They're showing London which is a good thing but in the first 10 minutes they've managed to do almost all the things that annoy me most about people on this show:  "oh not much closet space"; "the house is small and the garden is small and I want a village feel but I have to be in London and walking distance from the tube station"; "our budget is really tight and we want everything -- oh and let's pretend we're actually paying this rent ourselves and that our company isn't involved at all".   Overall they seem like nice people but it's obvious that the drah-ma is totally manufactured!

Edited June 13, 2018 by CherryAmes

[WendyCR72]

HHI always annoyed me if just for the Americans who do constantly ramble about wanting to live in a "traditional" house from wherever they plan to go, yet complain when they are shown exactly that and cry about space.

If you want American levels of space, get a bigger budget - or stay in the states!

[Irlandesa]

6 hours ago, chocolatine said:

Oh, and I would have accepted the awkward kitchen in return for the spectacular views and proximity to the beach. I'm not much of a cook anyway, and having a tiny kitchen would be an excuse to frequent the local restaurants. Win-win.

Me too.  Just open the doors to the terrace and it'd feel much better.  That kitchen was meant to be an indoor/outdoor kitchen with a heavy emphasis on the outdoor.

I actually didn't mind her hair or her outfit.  She looked comfortable and dressing for herself and her kids.  I don't blame her. 

[biakbiak]

33 minutes ago, Irlandesa said:

That kitchen was meant to be an indoor/outdoor kitchen with a heavy emphasis on the outdoor.

But there was only a little bit of countertop and no cooktop and not enough room to put a hot plate. Given they size of the other rooms it seems like it was basically designed to be an Airbnb where you weren’t using the kitchen to do anything other than open a bottle of wine.

Edited June 14, 2018 by biakbiak

[LittleIggy]

15 minutes ago, biakbiak said:

But there was only a little bit of countertop and no cooktop and not enough room to put a hot plate. Given they size of the other rooms it seems like it was basically designed to be an Airbnb where you were using the kitchen to do anything other than open a bottle of wine.

All I saw was a microwave and a sink. There was plenty of room in that place (two apartments put together) to install a decent kitchen.

[biakbiak]

Okay I know these shows are fake and they agree to be on tv so they probably aren’t planning to murder their spouse but that said i totally got the feeling that the husband from the Montana to Cambodia was plotting to murder her.

Edited June 14, 2018 by biakbiak

[doodlebug]

46 minutes ago, biakbiak said:

Okay I know these shows are fake and they agree to be on tv so they probably aren’t planning to murder their spouse but that said i totally got the feeling that the husband from the Montana to Cambodia was plotting to murder her.

By the end of the episode, I was feeling murderous myself.  I was amazed to see they were still in Cambodia after 3 months, I didn’t think they’d last 3 weeks.  I found them both to be ridiculously childish and unrealistic in their attitudes.

[Kohola3]

5 hours ago, doodlebug said:

6 hours ago, biakbiak said:

Okay I know these shows are fake and they agree to be on tv so they probably aren’t planning to murder their spouse but that said i totally got the feeling that the husband from the Montana to Cambodia was plotting to murder her.

 

By the end of the episode, I was feeling murderous myself.  I was amazed to see they were still in Cambodia after 3 months, I didn’t think they’d last 3 weeks.  I found them both to be ridiculously childish and unrealistic in their attitudes.

Ditto to both. I kept thinking that this was going to be a short-lived marriage. 

"We aren't used to construction in Montana".  So many inane comments, especially from her.  And he was sort of apathetic and acted depressed.  Of course, moving to Cambodia would depress the hell out of me.

[mojito]

Quote

Ditto to both. I kept thinking that this was going to be a short-lived marriage. 

"We aren't used to construction in Montana".  So many inane comments, especially from her.  And he was sort of apathetic and acted depressed.  Of course, moving to Cambodia would depress the hell out of me.

I was kind of uncomfortable watching this. First, they married so young. Second, they were newlyweds. Third, she had never left Montana. Fourth, they were moving somewhere so different from what they have known in their short lives.

I wonder what these two majored in and if they were able to find any employment in Montana.

Maybe they should have started with a move to Boise, Idaho, then worked up to bigger cities and metropolitan areas. That traffic in Cambodia was insane. In one aerial shot, a motorcycle/scooter was standing still in the middle of an intersection with traffic whizzing past in all directions, at the same time. 

That "gym" was quite spectacular. Two treadmills, two elliptical machines, an exercise ball, and a weight bench with no weights. 

Pardon my negative thoughts, but these two seemed like the focus of a future investigation into their mysterious disappearance. 

[TVForever]

9 hours ago, biakbiak said:

Okay I know these shows are fake and they agree to be on tv so they probably aren’t planning to murder their spouse but that said i totally got the feeling that the husband from the Montana to Cambodia was plotting to murder her.

He would have to beat me to it. Holy cow, she was annoying.

[Mittengirl]

When they mentioned the one place that was a fifth-floor walk-up, all I could think was how hard that is going to be when one of them is on crutches after stepping off the curb and getting hit by a scooter.  They just seemed so out of place and miserable.

 I got the feeling they were traveling out of someone’s (most likely his) desire to be a hipster millennial rather than a true desire to live abroad.

One or both kept mentioning wanting to experience the “Eastern culture” but never said why or what exactly they meant by that.  Go on vacation, for cripe’s sake, to see if you like it.  Then, if it makes you both happy, move.  Or just vacation there again.

[Blue997]

Asians don't cook with ovens! When was the last baked dish you ever had at a Chinese, Japanese, etc. restaurant???

[Kohola3]

1 hour ago, Blue997 said:

Asians don't cook with ovens!

No cookies?  No cakes?  No pies?  I'm staying home.

[chocolatine]

Glad I'm not the only one who didn't like the Montana -> Cambodia couple. So naive and clueless. "We don't have this in Montana" - you don't say! I'm starting to wonder if the jobs they got at the same place aren't a scam.

2 hours ago, Blue997 said:

Asians don't cook with ovens!

Not only that, he was also saying he wanted his wife to make pumpkin bread, the ingredients for which would be really difficult to get because the recipe is very specific to the US. I remember when I was at university in Germany all the US exchange students where bemoaning the lack of pumpkin spice.

Edited June 14, 2018 by chocolatine

[Ohwell]

22 minutes ago, chocolatine said:

Not only that, he was also saying he wanted his wife to make pumpkin bread,

Idiot!

[laredhead]

I haven't seen the Cambodia episode yet, but one of the things always mentioned by Americans when there is no oven or a very small one, is how will they cook the Thanksgiving turkey.  No matter how many times I hear it, I still laugh.

[SmithW6079]

5 hours ago, laredhead said:

I haven't seen the Cambodia episode yet, but one of the things always mentioned by Americans when there is no oven or a very small one, is how will they cook the Thanksgiving turkey.  No matter how many times I hear it, I still laugh.

I wonder if they think it's a national holiday in whatever country they're moving to.

[scrb]

7 hours ago, Kohola3 said:

No cookies?  No cakes?  No pies?  I'm staying home.

Pretty sure there are Chinese pastries.

[LittleIggy]

6 hours ago, chocolatine said:

Glad I'm not the only one who didn't like the Montana -> Cambodia couple. So naive and clueless. "We don't have this in Montana" - you don't say! I'm starting to wonder if the jobs they got at the same place aren't a scam.

 

I have no doubt that their jobs are at a language mill (a private language school), especially since that had only BAs. They are young, white Americans so it wouldn’t be difficult to get that kind of a job in Cambodia. Probably why they chose SE Asia since it didn’t seem as if they were interested in the culture.

It cracked me up when he said something like “this place is near the bars she needs.” ? 

When I taught in China (at a uni that supplied a nice apartment thank goodness), I liked going to the little markets around the university. When I saw the markets around the place they picked, that’s what a thought of. Definitely more fun than overpriced bars. 

They didn’t seem to be making friends, did they? 

19 minutes ago, scrb said:

Pretty sure there are Chinese pastries.

They are steamed.