I often find myself ROFLMAO when an American goes looking for a home in picturesque Tuscany, for example, and they tell the Italian realtor they're looking for 4 bedrooms, 3 baths, a gourmet kitchen with dishwasher and a 48" Sub Zero refrigerator, with a big yard for the dogs and a post card view. Their budget: $1,000,000. Something like this is what the realtor will often show them....
Really? Those are some mighty expensive rocks! I always wonder, is this property really a million bucks, or was it $20K until the realtor saw their American passport? Regardless, Americans always have a wildly unrealistic expectation of how the rest of the world lives. Four bedrooms and 3 baths? They're asking for the Presidential Palace!
And it's now immensely popular to request a home "with character", which apparently means this:
I keep looking for a red "Condemned" sticker on a window.
And of course they want to live the "charmed life" of a local. Sipping espresso and playing bocce ball all day, strolling the piazza and dining alfresco in the evenings....
Then I tune in the domestic version and see couples asking for a move-in ready home for $400K, and in many/most parts of the country they're shown something like this:
Nice, cute, well kept house....absolutely. But $400K? *choke*
It all makes my humble little apartment feel quite special. I guess you could say, to me, House Hunters is a "comfort show". :)
S
I used to watch that show also, now my interest in houses and stuff has somewhat waned.
ReplyDeleteI heard somewhere that housing prices are the highest they've been since 2006, which probably means the economy will tank again in 2015. The only house I'd want in Italy would be one of those huge palaces like Clooney probably owns on Lake Como.
ReplyDeleteMrs. Chatterbox and I love this show, even though it's rigged and the couple have already purchased a property. But I like to study the couples to see who I think is wearing the pants in the family. And I like to pretend it's me buying a wonderful tropical paradise on the beach.
ReplyDeleteI think my wife watches that show. I just keep my eye on the locked drawer where the checkbook is kept.
ReplyDeleteBut it's a TUSCAN pile of rocks - big difference! :)
ReplyDeleteWe watch the show, look at their $400, 000 budget for a house, and say, "Where do these people work???"
ReplyDeleteMy fav stupid comment on House Hunters : "oh I hate the paint color!" and "oh the floors have carpet.."
ReplyDeleteboth can be changed easily whiney baby suck it up!
My fav stupid comment on House Hunters International:
Almost always involves Americans moving overseas and wanting to duplicate their McMansion.
"We need a 4 bedroom 3 bath with gourmet kitchen, open floor plan and a yard" I am always fascinated by how the Realtor keeps a straight face when you know they want to fall out of their chair laughing and saying "You stupid fu^%$# American! Take your obnoxious over blown ego back across the pond!"
Never been one to watch shows about the lives of the rich and famous. I knew that life would never be mine and I saw no need to get depressed about my life I was content with.
ReplyDeleteI once found a home I liked and could afford if we sold everything and moved to Aruba. The bathroom was in the closet and the shower was on the roof. It had a tiny fridge and a one burner stove. The futon folded up so you could use the dining table. The view from the table or bed was amazing green ocean, we decided it was for people beyond our means.