TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin New SXM House Hunters International Tonight!!!

A new SXM HHI is on HGTV tonight, titled A Warmer Home for Mario and Linda. 10:30 PM is the premiere. Set those DVR's!!

Looks like a couple from Calgary. On average I watch 1 or 2 of these shows/day. It still amazes me how many of them are not repeats.

Of course SXM was the site of one of the most infamous shows bought by a couple who could not evict their renter due to the island laws. Never did hear if that ever cleared up or not, but imagine what a nightmare that was.

I used to see the new owner out running some mornings about 2 years ago...haven't seen him since...house was painted, that's all I know

What channel?

Sorry, HGTV. I edited the original post.

Got it recorded! Thx, Carol!

All set up to record. Thanks Carol.

Thanks Carol - I missed catching this one.

Thank you! Just set to record it. John

Cupexoy, long and Cole in that order. I chose long. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/dance.gif" alt="" />

What happened? What did they look at and pick?
We had fierce storm here and lost Direct TV.
Thank
i

Very disappointed in tonight's show. They showed so little of the island...and didn't really discuss locations at all. Very little scenery....except at the end when they are walking by all the ''gone'' shacks on Orient. The view from the penthouse though was FANTASTIC...but no mention of beaches, views, or areas. Sure didn't make a viewer want to run to SXM...made it sound like it just is too expensive to live there.

Also thought by the fifth or six time hearing that they want to live 7 months in SXM, and 5 in Calgary was for or five times to much!!! We get it HGTV....we get it...

Worst episode we've ever seen for this type of show (House Hunters, Caribbean Life, etc). Bad storyline (his list of properties he was interested in were all lies?), realtor making facts up about the island (8-10 cruise ships per day?!?), bad acting by all (by the realtor and the buyers...because they most likely had already bought the property by the time it was filmed). So much complaining about the island costs and showed no island assets. I told my wife it really didn't get my juices flowing about going back to sxm and she agreed.

I agree that if I were considering SXM, this show would have convinced me not to pursue it. Bet the 5 months back in Calgary will get old fast for family they will stay with.
I suppose I'm too practical to think that staying within a budget of $400K instead of selling the homestead to buy for $529K would not work for me.

Yes that ticked me off too, that supposedly the guy is a realtor back home and he had such unrealistic expectations for what properties would go for?? What got me was this story line that dishwashers are unusual on SXM. Huh??? And the 8-10 cruise ships a day was ridiculous. And did anyone else hear what I thought I heard--that they had never been to SXM before???? Surely not.. The whole show just p*ssed me off.

I agree Carol ..."show p*ssed me off". And I too heard they had never been to SXM. Would anyone really buy someplace they'd never seen?

There are so many beautiful properties, locations on the island and not represented on that show.

And I couldn't help thinking when they looked at the 1st property....there's a beach today but how many days will it not be there?

I have no idea why you would buy in a country you've never been to. Maybe that wasn't right, like a lot of other things. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Crazy.gif" alt="" />

Actually, that first property, I think someone here said that was Long Bay? I thought it was Cupecoy, but I didn't recognize the building.

Carol, you were right It was Cupecoy. And the building was Rainbow Beach Club. I know because my husband and I bought our unit there this past November. I think even that building could have been shown in a better light. It is a beautiful place. I too was sick of hearing about 7 months on SXM and 5 months back home. I wish they had shown more of our beautiful island and some of the local restaurants. Was so excited to see this new episode but very disappointed in actual show.

Oh, ok. I've been in Bill and Elaine's place, but I didn't really recognize the building, for some reason.

Re-read what someone above posted and the place they said was "long" was Porto Cupecoy..

Can't fault the people......I'd assume they are great and hope they start posting here. I'm assuming all of our complaints have to do with the lines they were fed from the producers for the interesting storyline....that seems to have backfired completely.

I really wish they would let more reality into "reality" tv because there have been some cool shows that I used to watch like Pawn Stars and Storage Wars that once I found out that they are complete fabrications I cannot watch anymore. As for the house hunter-type show....what would it hurt to actually do as they claim (show them seeing the house for the first time, debate, buy, and then followup) instead of them already living in the house and having most of the show as complete BS.

I'm still sticking to my guns that the best SXM cable show(to me anyways) was the Three Sheets episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oa-yqJ5iOKM

As far as the premise of the people already having bought their place when the shows are filmed, that part of it I get, as to why that probably happens, as the deal could fall through, etc. But there were just a lot of really odd things in this particular show.

There is no way the husband is as stupid as the show made him out to be. A 3BR ocean front house for $400k???????? AND he's in real estate????? That's downright pathetic.

I watch almost all of these episodes and they are clearly staged. The reason I watch is to see at least some aspects of places I've never been.

The Caribbean series is even worse when it comes to making up stories.

I missed this show!! What price were they wanting to spend?? You mean they did NOT use the SXM man who has been used in past? Haven't enjoyed most of the recent ones of SXM. The fact at filming that 1 of the 3 is "the chosen one" doesn't bother me in any House Hunters or HH Internatl. All of these shows have some much editing done by producer and subject couple isn't directly involved in that part, so they may be surprised by what ends up in the show! I like ones where they show a map of where the 3 homes are located.

You really didn't miss very much. It was sad to see so very little of what shudda/cudda have been the beautiful island scenic backdrops and so much of the unrealistic and inane dialogue instead. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/duh.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/duh.gif" alt="" />

Mantas, thanks for sharing that link! What a hoot.

House Hunters is a very phony show. I have a cousin who knows someone who was on the show, and they had to completely move out of the home they had already selected and pretend to "discover" it all over again. I missed last night's episode but it sounds like that was a good thing.

I agree with the other posts about this episode. I understand that most of these shows are stages, but why would they have a realtor who, when told that they want to spend $400K on a home, starts with two homes well above that price? When I was house hunting in Tulsa 25 years ago, my first realtor had the same agenda of showing me homes above my price point, so I changed realtors.

This couple started by saying ocean front or ocean view, but that latter choice was quickly overlooked. I am sure that there are a number of ocean view home in their original price range that they could have seen.

Overall, both my wife and I thought that if we had never been to SXM, we would likely never go after seeing this - too expensive and too touristy. We have been on the island a number of times and found if delightful and reasonable with a lot of places to visit that did not have a tourist vibe.

i know for a fact..that one of the episodes....the rental in saint martin yacht club.....was totally bogus. the gal who was just coming to the island, and looking for a home, was a gal that lived on the island for well over a year, and then moved out of her home...to rediscover it a year later!!!! these shows are all staged and bogus...but last night's just was over the top with total BULLSH$T. I did a bit of research afterwards.....both the buyers (husband and wife) are selling real estate for C21 ...with the broker that has no clue about how many ships are in during season....or says that there are no properties in their price range...when one can do a MLS search, and find many. Also, i dont beleive that they ever mentioned how much the couple ended up paying for their penthouse unit...i am sure it was NOT full asking price. Again, i thought it was a total waste of airtime...and shed SXM , and the real estate profession as ''lyers'' about advertising price, in a negative light. If HGTV can not do better than the show last night, i hope they do us a favor and STAY AWAY for future episodes.

Whew! I am so glad to see I was not the only one who thought this episode was silly. Good to have the collective wisdom of posters to this board again confirmed.

It was me that said Cupecoy as first shown. And then Long and then Cole Bay, bit wasn't sure about the last two. I agree. The show was not good and didn't show the island's true beauty and features. Why would you want to go to SXM after seeing this? <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/duh.gif" alt="" />

Best part for me was the opening scene of the plane flying over Maho to land at the airport... after that, if i heard, "way over budget" one more time ... <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/duh.gif" alt="" />

Agreed. I get so irritated watching these poorly staged and reenacted shows. I want to slap the buyers in the face when they start complaining about their budget or wanting ocean view.....such unrealistic expectations....adjust them, adjust your budget, or stop complaining and acting entitled!

Well, I did not realize properties were that expensive there. Personally it seems you could buy up timeshare weeks and live extended periods of time, or just rent somewhere as it sounded like they have to live in Canada for 5 months in order to keep their health insurance. If that were the case I wouldn't buy, or I'd buy a "regular folks" type home. I wasn't quite getting the insistence on 2 sinks in the bathroom either. Quite frankly I would prefer being by myself in the bathroom.

OK, the 'two sinks in the bathroom' thing is something I see in househunters shows all the time, which I just don't get!!! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/duh.gif" alt="" /> But, that's another story!

In general, I have loved the HHI shows that featured SXM, but this one was just kind of a dud..

So we taped this and finally watched it tonight. I go along with everyone got so tired of listening to the wife talk about "going over budget" and the need for two sinks. I, too, was wondering what they got the unit for. But, to be able to get a job selling real estate on the island so fast, how is that.

JeanneJoe, he was selling real estate in Canada so I think the end showing him on phone & computer was about a sale in Canada. Maybe he owned that agency and has people working for him there. He did say they planned to spend 5 months in Canada and the rest in SXM.

I'm not sure he was selling real estate in Canada in the end. They were only returning to Canada for 5 months, so they could maintain their provincial health care insurance.

He said that his first job years ago was in Real Estate. He said he was going back to it once he moved to SXM. Both he and his wife are working for Century 21. Don't know if you need a license to sell on the island or not. BUT...he may not have just started working there....chances are he and his wife have been living on the island for a year or more...before they filmed. I know they are all the episodes are staged.

I totally missed this. Does anyone know if it's going to re-air anytime soon?

I don't know. They did re-air it within like 24 hours of when it originally aired. But, as many here have said, even for 'reality TV', this one was really bad. Watching it didn't make me want to go to SXM, it made me p*ssed off.

Carol...wish there was a ''like'' button to hit. Love the p*ssed off comment....LOL