House Hunters International - General Discussion

[Lemons]

10 hours ago, mojito said:

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. 

A gym was important yet he had issues with a fifth floor walk up?  Nope, he wanted a stair master, real stairs is just asking too much!  

[Kohola3]

I bet that five floor climb wears thin pretty quickly especially when they climb it multiple times a day to bring in food and supplies.

[Lemons]

1 hour ago, Kohola3 said:

I bet that five floor climb wears thin pretty quickly especially when they climb it multiple times a day to bring in food and supplies.

I did it in NYC. Six floors.    You get used to it.  

[mojito]

Colorado to Rennes, France

I'm beginning to wonder how bleak some people's employment opportunities are in the US. This couple leaves Colorado (where she had a double oven, in case you missed hearing her say this) to France. They didn't have any apparent attraction to France or Europe. Mostly what she talked about is how she was giving up a lot (school nurse for nearly 30 years) and wanting a great kitchen. And of course, he's come all the way over to France for a job but needs office space at home. He wanted to stick to a $1000 budget, but they did go $200 over. Considering his small budget, I didn't get the feeling that his employer was subsidizing much of his move. So why the move? 

Stories like this and the one a couple nights ago with the the young couple moving to Cambodia make me wonder what the real story is behind some of these international moves when the people involved don't seem to have much of a sense of adventure.

[ML89]

The Cambodia one was really odd - they've never left Montana but they suddenly go to Cambodia? Folks, why not, y'know, England first?  Hell, Los Angeles. The culture shock must be unreal. Plus that line about the bars and the agent saying something was either 5 minutes away or an hour - the whole thing was crazy. And yes, him wanting a gym but not five flights of stairs? I don't know, I'm betting they're already back in the States. 

1 hour ago, mojito said:

Colorado to Rennes, France

I'm beginning to wonder how bleak some people's employment opportunities are in the US.

I want to know how they get these jobs! How everyone just packs up and moves without work to another country - what about visas to work? 

[doodlebug]

5 minutes ago, ML89 said:

The Cambodia one was really odd - they've never left Montana but they suddenly go to Cambodia? Folks, why not, y'know, England first?  Hell, Los Angeles. The culture shock must be unreal. Plus that line about the bars and the agent saying something was either 5 minutes away or an hour - the whole thing was crazy. And yes, him wanting a gym but not five flights of stairs? I don't know, I'm betting they're already back in the States. 

I want to know how they get these jobs! How everyone just packs up and moves without work to another country - what about visas to work? 

The Montana to Cambodia was particularly weird.  She had never been out of Montana and he didn't seem to be well travelled either. As someone said upthread, why not take a vacation there?  Or go someplace where the culture shock wasn't as great?  It made no sense to go halfway around the world to live when one of them had never even been out of state.  They said they got teaching jobs there, there are plenty of teaching opportunities far closer to home than Cambodia.

 

The Colorado to Rennes husband said he had a chance to move while staying with the same company which is why they ended up there.  He also seemed to speak some French and, she seemed far more interested and open to French life than the couple going to Cambodia seemed.  Of course, France is going to be a far easier transition that Cambodia.

[SmithW6079]

2 hours ago, mojito said:

Colorado to Rennes, France

I'm beginning to wonder how bleak some people's employment opportunities are in the US. This couple leaves Colorado (where she had a double oven, in case you missed hearing her say this) to France. They didn't have any apparent attraction to France or Europe. Mostly what she talked about is how she was giving up a lot (school nurse for nearly 30 years) and wanting a great kitchen. And of course, he's come all the way over to France for a job but needs office space at home. He wanted to stick to a $1000 budget, but they did go $200 over. Considering his small budget, I didn't get the feeling that his employer was subsidizing much of his move. So why the move? 

Stories like this and the one a couple nights ago with the the young couple moving to Cambodia make me wonder what the real story is behind some of these international moves when the people involved don't seem to have much of a sense of adventure.

If she didn't have a great kitchen and a double-oven, how could she show those French how to cook? Oh, wait...

[Ritalin Smoothie]

The skeptic in me thinks that at least a third of all those improbable relo stories in this show may have to do with religious folks going overseas for mission work. 

[StatisticalOutlier]

20 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

20 hours ago, scrb said:

Pretty sure there are Chinese pastries.

They are steamed.

They have baked pastries.  Probably the most popular are baked bbq pork buns, pineapple buns (which may be my favorite food in the world), and egg tarts, all of which are baked.  And mooncakes, which are associated with some festival.  Lots of baking going on.

That said, I'd bet that most people buy them at bakeries instead of making them at home, especially when they have no other use for an oven.  They're really cheap.

Many major North American cities have Chinese bakeries tucked away somewhere, even the ones without what someone would think of as a Chinatown.  I've found them in Denver, Pittsburgh, Austin, Salt Lake City, and a little clot of them in Portland, Oregon.  (In addition to the obvious places like NYC, L.A., San Francisco, Seattle, Toronto, Vancouver.)  If it's authentic, chances are the women working in there don't speak English and are gruff, but that's just how they do things.

 

53 minutes ago, doodlebug said:

The Colorado to Rennes husband said he had a chance to move while staying with the same company which is why they ended up there.  He also seemed to speak some French

My captions had his name spelled with a D with an apostrophe after it, like "D'Armand," so there's bound to be something French going on there.  The voiceover pronounced it "Dee-Armond," but I heard the realtor call him "Darm" at one point, so I suspect it's actually pronounced like Darmond, and wonder why the show pronounced it differently.

[debraran]

My daughter went to a dinner party and met someone who's best friend did a HHI show. She said she wasn't sure if it was Cambodia or some place like it. She heard her say they were surprised to get the call and were told to let them know when they found a place. When they did, they moved everything out and staged the "hunt". She was told to say things about certain made up issues and it was scripted more than maybe some in the past. They got about 1100.00 each. The 6 months later was filmed then when they moved the stuff back in.  She filmed some things, like " I need a deep sink" for instance out of order, it seemed odd but not all closeups were in the same place. It was like "look at the camera and say this"  So maybe some really dumb people are just made to look worse. ; )

Edited June 16, 2018 by debraran

[SmithW6079]

5 hours ago, Ritalin Smoothie said:

The skeptic in me thinks that at least a third of all those improbable relo stories in this show may have to do with religious folks going overseas for mission work. 

That's what I thought about the Montana couple. Her little girl voice was annoying. 

And did the wife really say all the red in the first apartment looked "cheap"? Isn't red a lucky color in some Asian cultures? Did the ugly American just insult an entire culture?

[LittleIggy]

7 hours ago, doodlebug said:

The Montana to Cambodia was particularly weird.  She had never been out of Montana and he didn't seem to be well travelled either. As someone said upthread, why not take a vacation there?  Or go someplace where the culture shock wasn't as great?  It made no sense to go halfway around the world to live when one of them had never even been out of state.  They said they got teaching jobs there, there are plenty of teaching opportunities far closer to home than Cambodia.

 

 

See what I said above. To drive home the point, here is a quote from a website re: teaching in Cambodia: “Although most countries require a TEFL certificate and a college degree, Cambodia requires neither.”  I’m sure they figured that since they spoke English, they could get a job in Cambodia. I got TESOL certification before I got a job in China at a provincial uni (also had BA, JD, and many years of experience as an attorney). I now have an MA in TESOL and teach at an American university.

Re: SF to Amsterdam: How big of a room does a baby need for Pete’s sake? The wife was another one of those “I need local charm” types. I get so sick of that. 

[LittleIggy]

1 hour ago, SmithW6079 said:

That's what I thought about the Montana couple. Her little girl voice was annoying. 

And did the wife really say all the red in the first apartment looked "cheap"? Isn't red a lucky color in some Asian cultures? Did the ugly American just insult an entire culture?

Red is a lucky color in China. I thought the same thing you did. I got the idea that the agent thought they were idiots.

[Bastet]

7 hours ago, Ritalin Smoothie said:

The skeptic in me thinks that at least a third of all those improbable relo stories in this show may have to do with religious folks going overseas for mission work. 

I didn't see the episode, but when I read about painfully-sheltered people moving across the world for no apparent reason, I just assumed (and, yeah, I know what assuming does) they were there to harangue the locals.  HH seems to feature a fair number of quite clearly missionaries, but we're not going to come out and say they're missionaries HHs.

[LennieBriscoe]

S124, E6:

This SF couple with 2 kids looking for a place in Amsterdam sound awfully stupid about apartment sizes and amenities in general,  never mind European apartments.  "THAT'S a Dutch fridge?!" "We really wanted a bigger oven."  "Three bedrooms are on our list." (Why did an INFANT need her own bedroom?!)

And one point I must make: Who's  trying to kid whom,  on the episodes with people sent by their companies yet concerned about their budget? 

Over 40 years ago I knew someone who was sent by a major food company to the Brussels area. He (and his wife) were given a substantial housing AND dining allowance ON TOP of his salary. 

J/S.

ETA: And how does one take a 6-week general European vacation  and come away not understanding about the vibrant outside life compared to apartment life? "No room for a table in the kitchen?" "This bathroom (with bathtub and double standing sinks) is tight!" 

And why, with bikes,  buses,  and trams, did the stupid husband "really need a place close to my work"?

Maybe I'd have been a bit more sympathetic to this couple had the wife not continually misused "I," as in "with Nick and I." ?

Edited June 16, 2018 by LennieBriscoe

[doodlebug]

8 hours ago, Bastet said:

I didn't see the episode, but when I read about painfully-sheltered people moving across the world for no apparent reason, I just assumed (and, yeah, I know what assuming does) they were there to harangue the locals.  HH seems to feature a fair number of quite clearly missionaries, but we're not going to come out and say they're missionaries HHs.

Based on their ages, fresh out of college and lacking any prior travel experience or seeming interest in the people and cultures of the area,, I think it is a pretty good bet that they chose Cambodia because of the opportunity to proselytize the masses,  Their travel overseas in order to perform some sort of mandatory mission work for their church would explain a lot about their choices and their dynamic.  

[doodlebug]

1 hour ago, LennieBriscoe said:

S124, E6:

This SF couple with 2 kids looking for a place in Amsterdam sound awfully stupid about apartment sizes and amenities in general,  never mind European apartments.  "THAT'S a Dutch fridge?!" "We really wanted a bigger oven."  "Three bedrooms are on our list." (Why did an INFANT need her own bedroom?!)

And one point I must make: Who's  trying to kid whom,  on the episodes with people sent by their companies yet concerned about their budget? 

Over 40 years ago I knew someone who was sent by a major food company to the Brussels area. He (and his wife) were given a substantial housing AND dining allowance ON TOP of his salary. 

J/S.

ETA: And how does one take a 6-week general European vacation  and come away not understanding about the vibrant outside life compared to apartment life? "No room for a table in the kitchen?" "This bathroom (with bathtub and double standing sinks) is tight!" 

And why, with bikes,  buses,  and trams, did the stupid husband "really need a place close to my work"?

Maybe I'd have been a bit more sympathetic to this couple had the wife not continually misused "I," as in "with Nick and I." ?

 

Once again, we got a couple who seemed completely clueless as to what they realistically could expect at their price point.  And, yes, the people house hunting in the US who demand a separate bedroom for each kid annoy me; the ones moving to large European cities expecting American, non-big city spaces just seem stupid.  Those two, who supposedly had spent a goodly amount of time travelling in Europe, but yet seemingly had no idea of the standard sorts of things found in city apartments there looked so ignorant.  These days, anyone can go online and look at apartment rentals in any city in the world; there was no reason for their shock and surprise that the kitchens were small, that the bathrooms often don't have tubs and that refrigerators in Europe are generally much smaller than in the US.  And the hubby whining about a 20 minute commute to work was just being childish, IMO.  I also noticed that, in virtually every apartment they toured, it was all about him; his commute, his height, his budget.  He rarely seemed to even consider what might work best for his wife and kids.

Those two were moving from SF, one of the most expensive cities in the US; there's no way $2400 was going to get them all the things they wanted back home, why would they expect more in Amsterdam?  I think he may well have gotten a housing allowance from his employer, and was trying to cut corners and spend as little as possible out of his salary on the apartment to give them money for other things.  

I also failed to see how a chandelier = 'Dutch Charm'.  From what I've seen on this show, 'Dutch Charm' is steep staircases, small refrigerators and oddly shaped rooms; and yet, everytime the wife encountered any of those things, she found them unacceptable.  I guess she wanted a windmill in the front yard and a place to store their wooden shoes.

Also, what was all that baloney about the wife needing a 'creative space'?  What exactly was she yapping on about?  All of the apartments they saw were lovely, with a reasonable amount of space; I'm not seeing how a fireplace and chandelier make a space 'creative'.

Edited June 16, 2018 by doodlebug

[Kohola3]

And on a shallow note, what was with the kid having that goofy bonnet on inside the house?  Does Dutch charm include no indoor heating or something?

[Ohwell]

2 hours ago, LennieBriscoe said:

Maybe I'd have been a bit more sympathetic to this couple had the wife not continually misused "I," as in "with Nick and I."

Of all the annoying things about them, I think this topped the list.  I know it's a common grammatical error, but it still makes my teeth hurt.

[SmithW6079]

2 hours ago, LennieBriscoe said:

And why, with bikes,  buses,  and trams, did the stupid husband "really need a place close to my work"?

I haven't seen the episode yet, but I've commuted from the suburbs to the city (90 minutes each way via commuter rail and train or bus), driving (20-30 minutes each way), or walking (1 minute). I will almost never find fault with someone who wants a short commute.

[sempervivum]

1 hour ago, doodlebug said:

Also, what was all that baloney about the wife needing a 'creative space'?  What exactly was she yapping on about?  All of the apartments they saw were lovely, with a reasonable amount of space; I'm not seeing how a fireplace and chandelier make a space 'creative'.

She also kept saying she needed a bright/well-lit space 'for her photography work'- why? is she planning on just taking photos in the apartment? 

I detest the women (it always seems to be the woman) who claim 'this isn't what I pictured' when poo-poo'ing some negative of the apartment they're viewing. That first place was very pretty and not at all generic. I'm also a bit sick of the men always being 'logical' and by inference 'heartless', vs. wifie who is always 'creative' and 'emotional/romantic'.

The baby in the darling (to me) knit bonnet is probably basically bald, and it looked like this was filmed during cool weather; I doubt Amsterdammers (or whatever they're called) turn on the heat as soon as the temp drops below 70 the way we do.

[ML89]

On 6/1/2018 at 11:57 PM, LittleIggy said:

On 6/1/2018 at 11:42 PM, mojito said:

Madrid, Spain

An awkward watch for me. I think Mario is very infatuated with the Trey, but I don't think the feeling is as mutual. They didn't seem to know each other well enough to cohabitate. I kept thinking, "It'll never last."

Yep, I was thinking that won’t last long. However, I think it’s Mario who will get fed up since he talked about them being inside a lot because of where they were living. I wouldn’t want to be stuck in my old hood either.

I just saw this one - this is the first one I can remember where the couple isn't enthusiastic about the place at all. I agree that I think they've broken up by now (really, teaching assistant pays well enough for a city center apartment?) Also it was one of those eps where I didn't like any of the places - and the whole "my family will come visit" gets really old too. 

[LazyToaster]

A pet peeve of mine is the demand for property that has (whatever-country-they-are-in) CHARM - and then, complaining about everything they are shown that even remotely fits that description. 

Listen fools, the charm you claim to value usually comes with lots of stairs, small rooms, small yards, no oven, no dishwasher, toilet in a separate space, etc., etc.  In other words - it will NOT be what you had in the US and isn't that the whole point?  

On the other hand - if they find someplace that is sort of closer to home and they like it; but, aren't sure if they should try it because - you know, they won't get the CHARM???  I have an idea.  Take what makes you happy and comfy.  Then just know that every time you leave your house, bingo - you're still in the charming foreign place and you can enjoy it all you want.  Problem solved.

[LittleIggy]

I wonder how charming Western people would find a squat toilet! I never could handle the logistics of one. Just held it in until I could get back to my apartment.

[Kohola3]

I think that HHI should review their sequence of the homes or they would have put that last Dutch place in the middle. The first place was a 15 minute bike ride from work which was fine.  But the second place was 20 minutes and it was way too long.  Apparently they don't think we'll remember something we heard 5 minutes ago. 

[hoosier80]

6 hours ago, doodlebug said:

I also noticed that, in virtually every apartment they toured, it was all about him; his commute, his height, his budget.  He rarely seemed to even consider what might work best for his wife and kids.

The husband even didn't see why not having a bathtub in house #1 was an issue.  I don't have kids, and I know that you give kids baths.  Maybe he thought they could get a large bin and just fill it up with water from the shower?

So sick of hearing, I want xxxx-ish charm.  I want to feel like I'm living in xxxxx.   Uh, dumbasses, you will be out in the streets, speaking the language (even if English, there will be different words, idiomatic phrases, slang), different foods, different everything.  That's where you get the culture, not from a rental property.  Every society has new, modern homes along with older homes.

I guess the wife was getting back into "her art", so she wanted her own space.  Maybe she was going to do portraits in the apartment?

And yes, anyone can google apartments or homes in other parts of the world to see what is reasonable for price, what you can expect, what are the better areas to live, etc.  The people who act so clueless are either really very stupid or acting (badly).

[biakbiak]

15 minutes ago, hoosier80 said:

Maybe he thought they could get a large bin and just fill it up with water from the shower?

That’s what many, many people around the world do.

[Kohola3]

7 minutes ago, biakbiak said:

24 minutes ago, hoosier80 said:

Maybe he thought they could get a large bin and just fill it up with water from the shower?

That’s what many, many people around the world do.

Or bathe the kids in the kitchen sink. That's what my mom had to do.

[chocolatine]

One of my biggest pet peeves is people who insist on telling others repeatedly how "creative" they are, as if that makes them more entitled to a nicer home. Newsflash, creativity in and of itself doesn't pay the bills, so either use your talents to earn more money to pay for the place you want, or shut up and be happy with what you can afford.

Edited June 16, 2018 by chocolatine

[mojito]

Quote

Listen fools, the charm you claim to value usually comes with lots of stairs, small rooms, small yards, no oven, no dishwasher, toilet in a separate space, etc., etc.  In other words - it will NOT be what you had in the US and isn't that the whole point?  

I recently came to the conclusion that "charm" merely means something the house hunter has not seen before. If the house hunter has seen it before, it's "dated".  I would prefer a clean, non-grungy home with furniture that's clean and non-grungy as well. I'd be fine with a totally modern, familiar kind of place, too. Charm? I would expect the rest of the country to give me all the local charm I could ever want. Americans have such a distorted view of what's quaint (a place that looks old but is uncharacteristically spacious and open). What I find offensive (I'm American but am still somehow offended) is that so many American house hunters seem to equate modernity with American. "I might as well still be in Chicago!" Annoys the crap out of me. The US didn't discover "modern", you idiots.

[SmithW6079]

20 hours ago, chocolatine said:

One of my biggest pet peeves is people who insist on telling others repeatedly how "creative" they are, as if that makes them more entitled to a nicer home. Newsflash, creativity in and of itself doesn't pay the bills, so either use your talents to earn more money to pay for the place you want, or shut up and be happy with what you can afford.

And if you have to tell someone how "creative" you are, you're not really "creative."

2 hours ago, mojito said:

I recently came to the conclusion that "charm" merely means something the house hunter has not seen before. If the house hunter has seen it before, it's "dated".  I would prefer a clean, non-grungy home with furniture that's clean and non-grungy as well. I'd be fine with a totally modern, familiar kind of place, too. Charm? I would expect the rest of the country to give me all the local charm I could ever want. Americans have such a distorted view of what's quaint (a place that looks old but is uncharacteristically spacious and open). What I find offensive (I'm American but am still somehow offended) is that so many American house hunters seem to equate modernity with American. "I might as well still be in Chicago!" Annoys the crap out of me. The US didn't discover "modern", you idiots.

Also, apropos the Amsterdam couple: apparently, Dutch "charm" means a fireplace and chandelier. No other country in the world has those particular "Dutch" features. I found their insistence on separate bedrooms for the baby and the toddler weird, but that got me to wondering how much does the house "hunters'" extant living conditions dictate the story line? These people already lived in a four-bedroom apartment, so did the writers need to come up with a story that fit that situation, i.e., the couple "needed" to have separate bedrooms for their kids? Personally, I liked that first apartment the best, with those beautiful double doors to the bedroom.

I thought the couple moving to France relatively low-key. I liked the apartment they "chose," but I had to laugh at their angst at living their "loved one" at home in the States. At first, I thought it was going to be a dog, but then they revealed it was the son (and the first photo must have been one of when he was a child), and I thought: oh no, they left a minor child at home, but then they revealed he had graduated college. Presumably, he has a job and another living situation.

[awaken]

On 6/12/2018 at 12:12 AM, LittleIggy said:

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.

I wondered about her interesting accent. I could hear the TN in her voice, but she also sounded like my direct-from-Scotland grandmother, and also Irish. I wonder if she’s from an area in Appalachia settled by people of that descent. 

[awaken]

On 6/14/2018 at 11:53 AM, Blue997 said:

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

No banana bread?!  

On 6/14/2018 at 8:43 AM, Kohola3 said:

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.  

They looked freakishly similar to me!  Same large heads and thin lips, with toothy expressions. I could see what attracted them to each other!  

And oh no, red cushions??  People staring in at their bedroom? (As if the neighbors are dying to do that!)  Like most house hunters, Have never heard of curtains or shades! 

[mojito]

Quote

One of my biggest pet peeves is people who insist on telling others repeatedly how "creative" they are, as if that makes them more entitled to a nicer home.

I have stories in my head and I tend to come up with alternative plots to stories, whether they be novels or movies. I also create my own plots. I've always been startled by people who have declared that I'm creative when I didn't even think I did anything to show my creativity. I never describe myself as creative, though. To me, that's something you are, it's not something you declare. You're not a bigot? Don't declare that.  Let others determine that.

I have found that those who declare themselves "creative" have more desire to be considered "creative" than they have creativity. Me, I just consider myself someone who occasionally comes up with decent ideas.

[Kohola3]

22 minutes ago, mojito said:

I have found that those who declare themselves "creative" have more desire to be considered "creative" than they have creativity.

Ditto for people who declare themselves to be quirky, artistic, free-spirited, and fashion forward.  It's like if they keep repeating it that people will believe it but the proof is in the pudding.

[Pickles]

The Paris episode tonight. Omg, the wife annoyed me so much! I understand wanting to stick to the budget, but it is Paris! It is a limited opportunity, so embrace it and get a nice apartment. Nope. They got the charmless apartment in the undesirable area with no views of Paris. Ugh. I would have gone for the first apartment, but the third apartment was also nice and was on budget! The husband seemed reasonable, but the wife complained about the small apartments, small fridge, blah, blah. I have a feeling the wife calls all the shots and husband does not have much backbone. I know their lovely realtor was seriously disappointed in their choice. 

[doodlebug]

22 minutes ago, Pickles said:

The Paris episode tonight. Omg, the wife annoyed me so much! I understand wanting to stick to the budget, but it is Paris! It is a limited opportunity, so embrace it and get a nice apartment. Nope. They got the charmless apartment in the undesirable area with no views of Paris. Ugh. I would have gone for the first apartment, but the third apartment was also nice and was on budget! The husband seemed reasonable, but the wife complained about the small apartments, small fridge, blah, blah. I have a feeling the wife calls all the shots and husband does not have much backbone. I know their lovely realtor was seriously disappointed in their choice. 

The wife really was awful, especially when she kept going on and on about how they needed as much space as they'd had in Australia while whining and complaining about the cost of rent in Paris.  I would've probably gone with the third apartment which had a bit more space than the one in the Marais but was in a better area than the ugly place they chose.  I couldn't believe the wife getting excited about sitting on the tiny balcony sipping wine staring at the boxy apartment building across the alley.  There is no amount of wine that would make that view pleasant.

I did notice in the epilogue that the husband was making lemons out of lemonade and saying that, now that they'd lived there a few months, it was feeling very homey.  I also noticed thst the wife still hadn't found a job, and, from what she'd said; it didn't sound like she was trying hard to find one.  I guess that was the point of her constant insistence that they find the cheapest place they could; she really didn't want to work.  OK then.  I hope he's getting used to letting her have her way, I think she expects it.

Edited June 19, 2018 by doodlebug

[LittleIggy]

Re: Australia to Paris, why couldn’t the wife have compromised and gone with the on budget third apartment in a cool part of Paris? Her husband seemed like a nice guy. As someone commented, maybe she didn’t want to work. BTW, wonder if she grew up in the US or Canada. Didn’t have an Indian or Aussie accent.

1 hour ago, doodlebug said:

The wife really was awful, especially when she kept going on and on about how they needed as much space as they'd had in Australia while whining and complaining about the cost of rent in Paris.  I would've probably gone with the third apartment which had a bit more space than the one in the Marais but was in a better area than the ugly place they chose.  I couldn't believe the wife getting excited about sitting on the tiny balcony sipping wine staring at the boxy apartment building across the alley.  There is no amount of wine that would make that view pleasant.

I did notice in the epilogue that the husband was making lemons out of lemonade and saying that, now that they'd lived there a few months, it was feeling very homey.  I also noticed thst the wife still hadn't found a job, and, from what she'd said; it didn't sound like she was trying hard to find one.  I guess that was the point of her constant insistence that they find the cheapest place they could; she really didn't want to work.  OK then.  I hope he's getting used to letting her have her way, I think she expects it.

He can join a support group with the guy in Cape Girardeau, MO.

[Bronx Babe]

1 hour ago, LittleIggy said:

BTW, wonder if she grew up in the US or Canada. Didn’t have an Indian or Aussie accent.

 

CANADA!!  I'd bet on it!! (almost all of them are, lol, not that that's a bad thing, but....)

I heard her utter one sentence at the beginning of the show where it seemed to me she was FAKING an Australian accent with one sentence containing some nasally Aussie upspeak, then for the remainder of the episode sounded resolutely Canuk to me.

"Canuck"

(problems with my editing icon)

Couldn't understand a word the husband said.

I would have picked the third apartment.

Love Adrian Leeds!  

[biakbiak]

3 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

hy couldn’t the wife have compromised and gone with the on budget third apartment in a cool part of Paris? Her husband seemed like a nice guy. As some

Because it wasn’t actually available. I have no pity for them because they chose to be on tv and opened themselves to criticism but few HHscan ever win, this thread is rife of people complaining about people looking for charm inside apartments and stating it’s lame because by living there they will find the charm outside.

[OFDgal]

On ‎6‎/‎17‎/‎2018 at 4:15 PM, awaken said:

No banana bread?!  

They looked freakishly similar to me!  Same large heads and thin lips, with toothy expressions. I could see what attracted them to each other!  

And oh no, red cushions??  People staring in at their bedroom? (As if the neighbors are dying to do that!)  Like most house hunters, Have never heard of curtains or shades! 

Complaining about close neighbors is something that drives me crazy with these house hunters.  They want to live in the city but do not want to see neighbors or noise! 

[laredhead]

The first apartment in the Paris episode looked like a vacation or short term rental.  It also looked like one we have seen a couple of times already, but it may be that many of those small spaces look very similar and are decorated the same.  I don't think I could live there with another person for more than a long weekend.  Paris is obviously a temporary place for them to live for a year or so to get the travel bug out of their systems before settling down to raise a family.  When you are talking about $100 or $200 extra a month over a year, that's not much to live in a place larger than a shoe box.   Maybe if your budget is that restricted, Paris is not the place for you to live.  As someone mentioned already, probably 2 of those 3 apartments weren't available.  I hated the one they chose, and agree that sitting on that balcony staring at other buildings that could be located anywhere in the world was not enticing.  I would have stayed in Australia until I saved enough $$ to make the last travel adventure something to remember including where I lived during my time in Paris.     

[sempervivum]

10 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

Re: Australia to Paris, why couldn’t the wife have compromised and gone with the on budget third apartment in a cool part of Paris?

Except for the bathroom, which didn't look like it was wide enough for someone tall (like him) to sit on a toilet without their knees touching the wall- that would be a deal killer for me. The rest of it was nice, though.

I thought they were a cute couple; she certainly knew how to turn on the dimples, etc, to persuade hubby. 

[LittleIggy]

7 hours ago, biakbiak said:

Because it wasn’t actually available. I have no pity for them because they chose to be on tv and opened themselves to criticism but few HHscan ever win, this thread is rife of people complaining about people looking for charm inside apartments and stating it’s lame because by living there they will find the charm outside.

The neighborhood wasn’t charming.

[Lemons]

On 6/15/2018 at 8:31 PM, debraran said:

My daughter went to a dinner party and met someone who's best friend did a HHI show. She said she wasn't sure if it was Cambodia or some place like it. She heard her say they were surprised to get the call and were told to let them know when they found a place. When they did, they moved everything out and staged the "hunt". She was told to say things about certain made up issues and it was scripted more than maybe some in the past. They got about 1100.00 each. The 6 months later was filmed then when they moved the stuff back in.  She filmed some things, like " I need a deep sink" for instance out of order, it seemed odd but not all closeups were in the same place. It was like "look at the camera and say this"  So maybe some really dumb people are just made to look worse. ; )

You can tell they make people complain about stupid stuff because they all sound the same.  Does the show like to annoy people on purpose?  

[seacliffsal]

Regarding the idea of whether or not the Montana to Cambodia couple were missionaries (and that other HHIers have been as well), in my experience most missionaries receive language and culture training before going overseas.  Also, her clothing would eliminate some religious denominations.  In addition, I do not know of any mission organization that would encourage its missionaries to pine about being close to bars... So, I don't think that they are missionaries, I think they just thought it would be hip/cool to live overseas without really thinking through or preparing to do so.  My jaw dropped when the husband complained about five flights of stairs but was totally invested in having a gym (my apartment in Japan had four flights of stairs-like another poster shared, you just get used to it [but my poor mom when she visited me...]).    

[LittleIggy]

Bangalore: I’m glad the wife got the apartment she wanted. It was nice to see they had guests who weren’t all expats.

[Pickles]

I liked the Bangalor couple. Nice to see a couple who gets along so well and enjoys each other's company. They definitely chose the right apartment. It was really nice!

[mojito]

Quote

Bangalore: I’m glad the wife got the apartment she wanted. It was nice to see they had guests who weren’t all expats.

I'm with you 100%. I found myself counting how many of the guests looked like they might've been from India. 

Wife deserved at least a decent kitchen. My goodness, office furniture (complete with pass-through holes for electrical cords) passing for counter tops? This is one of those times when you are sure that the husband was reading a script. They looked at two unimpressive apartments and when they find this modern place he grumbled about being over budget by $100. Yeah, right. Oh, and that place that he commented had Indian charm. There was an ordinary striped couch with a couple throw pillows with a pattern on them, a small rug with a pattern and a glass coffee table. Uh-huh, I could practically smell the biryani simmering.

It was interesting to see them stressing a little over the fact that they weren't in agreement on something, which they claimed to be rare. Now that's quite an accomplishment.

[sempervivum]

3 hours ago, mojito said:

My goodness, office furniture (complete with pass-through holes for electrical cords) passing for counter tops?

Not just that- it had only a microwave for cooking. There wasn't even a hotplate in that one. I think it did have a tiny fridge and sink, but that was it. The apartment itself wasn't bad otherwise, but who would rent a place with such a kitchen?

OTOH, I'm tired of the wife acting like her entire life will revolve around making meals. I wonder what it is she thinks she's going to be cooking in Bangalore? Unless she's already a pretty experienced and adventurous cook, has she considered what kind of groceries will be available? Since India had a long history with the UK, I assume there are some expat stores that sell crumpets or something, but I doubt that she'll be able to locate ingredients for mac 'n' cheese or tuna casserole or whatever she used to make in Ypsilanti, MI.  She did look rather unconventional, but her reactions to kitchens were so June Cleaver.