Maison À Vaison Featured on
House Hunters International
Our episode was called, "Quibbling Over Quirk in Vaucluse, France,"
and aired January 26th, 2023.
It was around the beginning of May 2022 when I came home from work one day and Andy had pulled me into his office with some news. On a whim, and without telling me, he had sent our story into the House Hunters International casting two days before. Immediately, he had received a long winded, automated e-mail stating that they receive 1,000's of e-mails a day and it's standard to not hear back from them for weeks, if at all. The next day, however, he received a response asking if we could meet via Skype for an interview. I am a very private person in my day-to-day life and more on the reserved side, where Andy is the absolute opposite. As this would be our first summer in the house, he thought it would be a really fun way to document the experience. Needless to say, we took the interview.
and aired January 26th, 2023.
It was around the beginning of May 2022 when I came home from work one day and Andy had pulled me into his office with some news. On a whim, and without telling me, he had sent our story into the House Hunters International casting two days before. Immediately, he had received a long winded, automated e-mail stating that they receive 1,000's of e-mails a day and it's standard to not hear back from them for weeks, if at all. The next day, however, he received a response asking if we could meet via Skype for an interview. I am a very private person in my day-to-day life and more on the reserved side, where Andy is the absolute opposite. As this would be our first summer in the house, he thought it would be a really fun way to document the experience. Needless to say, we took the interview.
What isn't exactly featured on our episode, is the actual process and journey that we took. Many people go house hunting abroad knowing the region or town they want to buy in, which really narrows things down. Being that we had never been to the south, we didn't really know what we wanted. Picking up our car in Perpignan, we drove from one end of the south, all the way to the Italian boarder, stopping along the way in small hamlets, picturesque medieval villages and some of the more well known tourist stops. I write more about the actual trip in my blog "Our Home Buying Experience" for anyone interested in knowing more. We really thought we were picked for the show because of our unique way of finding a home, so when they wanted to focus just on the Vaucluse region (which we adored), we were a bit surprised.
The Initial Interview:
Andy is such an outgoing/goofy kind of guy, which really lends itself well to his line of work as a T.V. commercial director. I also think that his personality matched with my more reserved/dorky vibes really piqued the interviewers interests in us not only as a couple, but also as international home buyers. It was said on set that Andy's "off the rails" attitude, mixed with our fun banter and my ability to reigning him in at times, made it so that we really played well off of each other. This is an element of our relationship that we both really love. He is silly and, dare I say it, quirky, while am playful and calm.
I also think our age was a factor in being picked. While we aren't fresh out of college, most of the real estate agencies we visited were surprised to see us. Many explained they were used to working with people much older than us. We also look a lot younger than what we are. People usually guess that I am in my late twenties and not close to forty.
While our episode description said that we had saved for years, this home purchase was actually pretty impulsive, adding to our interviewers intrigue. Andy had asked if I wanted to buy a second home in the mountains after looking at a friends recent covid purchase on Instagram. I replied I'd rather buy a place in France. Three months later we were exploring Carcassonne between home visits. While Andy is the more extroverted, I would say that I am more of the dreamer of the two, but don't usually sit back and dream about my plans for too long before making them reality.
One thing that kept coming up in a lot of our interviews was quirk. Our house in Pittsburgh is VERY quirky. It was built by a saddle maker in the late 1800's. It was then used as a speakeasy in the 20's and then a branch of the Polish Falcon's in the 50's. We still have their bar in our living room. We love history and the historical quirks (like a 50's bar in your living room) that come with it, so we didn't shy away from homes with loads of history. That usually attracted us more.
By the end of the interview, she had us fill out a long questionnaire and decided that we would be a good fit for the show, the only problem she could see is that it wasn't a permanent move, making the "stakes" perhaps not high enough for viewers to be invested. Willing to roll the dice, she submitted us to casting to see what would happen.
I also think our age was a factor in being picked. While we aren't fresh out of college, most of the real estate agencies we visited were surprised to see us. Many explained they were used to working with people much older than us. We also look a lot younger than what we are. People usually guess that I am in my late twenties and not close to forty.
While our episode description said that we had saved for years, this home purchase was actually pretty impulsive, adding to our interviewers intrigue. Andy had asked if I wanted to buy a second home in the mountains after looking at a friends recent covid purchase on Instagram. I replied I'd rather buy a place in France. Three months later we were exploring Carcassonne between home visits. While Andy is the more extroverted, I would say that I am more of the dreamer of the two, but don't usually sit back and dream about my plans for too long before making them reality.
One thing that kept coming up in a lot of our interviews was quirk. Our house in Pittsburgh is VERY quirky. It was built by a saddle maker in the late 1800's. It was then used as a speakeasy in the 20's and then a branch of the Polish Falcon's in the 50's. We still have their bar in our living room. We love history and the historical quirks (like a 50's bar in your living room) that come with it, so we didn't shy away from homes with loads of history. That usually attracted us more.
By the end of the interview, she had us fill out a long questionnaire and decided that we would be a good fit for the show, the only problem she could see is that it wasn't a permanent move, making the "stakes" perhaps not high enough for viewers to be invested. Willing to roll the dice, she submitted us to casting to see what would happen.
The Budget
Our budget wasn't small, but it definitely wasn't half a million dollars either. There are a wide variety of lower-priced homes, even in some of the more sought after areas, but for the homes on the lower end, you need to have an open mind about renovations. We bought a fixer-upper here in Pittsburgh and I told Andy I absolutely did not want to live in two construction zones. Because of this, the homes on the lower end of our budget didn't usually get a second look because of the amount of work needed. We did realize, however, that our map of homes to tour was definitely more populated on the western side of France, than on the eastern, more sought after, side.
One thing people questioned after the show aired was why I was so reluctant to allow Andy to renovate? Did he do a poor job? Was he slow?? The real reason is more tied to his work. Since Andy is freelance, his work is very sporadic. Sometimes he works non-stop, seven days a week for months. Sometimes he doesn't work for months at a time. In Pittsburgh, he would start renovation projects when he had downtime from work, but, much to my dismay, would abandon them when he got busy with work. Some of those projects have remained uncompleted for years. This is where me not wanting Andy to do renovations stemmed from. His work is pretty good, as he is meticulous and thoughtful, but scheduling wise you never knew if it would get finished.
On set, Andy gained the nickname "Crowbar Andy" and many scenes were filled with jokes about him and his want to do some work, but a lot of that was left out. When filming for 12-14 hours a day for 3-4 days, a lot of your content isn't used.
We tried going the mortgage route in France, but that was quickly shut down by the fact that Andy is a freelancer and most French banks than require you to jump through a multitude of hoops before even considering your application. Most people that we talked to who had managed to get a mortgage, however, did so through HSBC. I write more about the specifics in the "Buying a Home Abroad" section of the site for anyone interested in a little more information.
One thing people questioned after the show aired was why I was so reluctant to allow Andy to renovate? Did he do a poor job? Was he slow?? The real reason is more tied to his work. Since Andy is freelance, his work is very sporadic. Sometimes he works non-stop, seven days a week for months. Sometimes he doesn't work for months at a time. In Pittsburgh, he would start renovation projects when he had downtime from work, but, much to my dismay, would abandon them when he got busy with work. Some of those projects have remained uncompleted for years. This is where me not wanting Andy to do renovations stemmed from. His work is pretty good, as he is meticulous and thoughtful, but scheduling wise you never knew if it would get finished.
On set, Andy gained the nickname "Crowbar Andy" and many scenes were filled with jokes about him and his want to do some work, but a lot of that was left out. When filming for 12-14 hours a day for 3-4 days, a lot of your content isn't used.
We tried going the mortgage route in France, but that was quickly shut down by the fact that Andy is a freelancer and most French banks than require you to jump through a multitude of hoops before even considering your application. Most people that we talked to who had managed to get a mortgage, however, did so through HSBC. I write more about the specifics in the "Buying a Home Abroad" section of the site for anyone interested in a little more information.
The Wish List:
Andy and I are two very laid back people (despite his crazy energy), so when we saw the title of our show, we definitely looked at each other with a hint of suspicion.
We agreed on everything we wanted for a house and our wish list turned out pretty minimal.
We agreed on everything we wanted for a house and our wish list turned out pretty minimal.
- We didn't care how many bathrooms the place had, just as long as it had a working bathroom.
- Bedrooms were not really a big debate either. It needed to have at least two, so we could accommodate guests, but could have an infinite amount. At one point we looked at an old winemakers home that had 14 bedrooms, not including the servants quarters, so we were really up for anything in the sleeping department. For the show, however, we had to come up with a number we both wanted, even though it didn't matter.
- My non-negotiable was the kitchen. I absolutely love to cook and bake. I needed a functional kitchen in order to cook all the incredible things I planned purchasing at the markets. Some people questioned my comment about seasonally cooking and found it odd. Here in Pittsburgh, we do have farmers markets, but not year round. Also, the food isn't strictly seasonally focused the same as it is at the French markets. I probably cooked 6 nights a week while in France and using fresh ingredients was really important to me. Also, getting to explore produce and items that I normally wouldn't cook with at home and finding new ways to implement them while there was fun to me. We do have leeks back in the U.S., but they aren't as heavily used as they are in France. So I began using them often, making Vichyssoise and other leek heavy dishes.
- Andy's non-negotiable was an outdoor space, but as we didn't plan to live there full time, I swayed him away from the idea of a walled garden or terrace. I wanted something a bit more maintainable.
- Our non-negotiable together was quirk, which the title got right, as we probably annoyed everyone with the amount of times it was mentioned. We wanted a very old home with history and quirk.
- We also wanted to be in a small town that was big enough to have a bakery. pharmacy, grocer and restaurant, but small enough to make us feel as though we were in the country.
Our decorating styles are a little different. This is where I think the title of our episode may have come from. Andy grew up in a victorian home that was packed with eclectic and intriguing estate sale finds, purchased by his antique-loving mother. Every bookshelf, chair rail, nook and cranny were adorned with her treasures. I grew up in a less whimsical home. Everything had its place and clutter was found in storage boxes in the attic. I would say our styles differ in that I am more minimalistic of a decorator than Andy. I would, however, not classify myself as a minimalist and absolutely love old things decorating the shelves, just in less quantity than Andy would like.
The Homes:
Two of the homes, including our own were in Vaison-la-Romaine. Ours being located on the "newer" part of town and the other being located in "old town." The home in old town was cute and had a lot of charm, but the kitchen was so tiny that it made it hard for even one person to move around and cook. Plus, the bathroom situation was so weird. The toilet out on the terrace and the open-concept bathroom off the master made the lack of privacy a key issue.
The other home was located in Villedieu, a town known as once being a commander of the Knights Templar. The home, while having a few quirky remaining features, had been recently remodeled with all modern updates. While I do enjoy modern updates, the home was really lacking character. Upon first walking in my initial reaction was, "this house literally looks like it could be located anywhere in the world." It wasn't meant as a slight, the home just didn't feel old, charming or Provençal. Of course, the kitchen was lovely, new and spacious, but it wasn't really our style. We wanted something we couldn't get back in the U.S. Andy loved the spacious terrace, but the home's lack of charm and the town not having a pharmacy or grocer made it easy to rule out.
The other home was located in Villedieu, a town known as once being a commander of the Knights Templar. The home, while having a few quirky remaining features, had been recently remodeled with all modern updates. While I do enjoy modern updates, the home was really lacking character. Upon first walking in my initial reaction was, "this house literally looks like it could be located anywhere in the world." It wasn't meant as a slight, the home just didn't feel old, charming or Provençal. Of course, the kitchen was lovely, new and spacious, but it wasn't really our style. We wanted something we couldn't get back in the U.S. Andy loved the spacious terrace, but the home's lack of charm and the town not having a pharmacy or grocer made it easy to rule out.
Deleted Scenes from the ShowOne element we thought was a little strange was that they had asked us to film some of the material ourselves. Thinking about things we'd like to see other expats doing, we headed to our favorite stall at the market. Ikram & Bastien are a husband and wife team who own LA BANDOLAISE market stall and have the absolute best tapenades and dips, along with, of course, fabulous olives. Check out the unused clip and moon over these beautiful, handmade delights!
|
|