Moving to Bordeaux: City or Outskirts? | House Hunters | HGTV

A newly engaged couple looks to leave Bangkok to follow her dream to live in his native France. She wants to be in the city center to immerse herself in the French walking culture, but he’s been there and done that, and prefers the charm of the outskirts.

This spinoff of the wildly popular HGTV House Hunters globe trots from Sao Paolo to Prague. Home hunters and their real estate agents check out all sorts of architectural styles and work through the idiosyncrasies of buying real estate in other countries. In any language, home buying is an emotional experience.
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Moving to Bordeaux: City or Outskirts? | House Hunters | HGTV

We’ve been living in Thailand for the last
seven years, most recently in Bangkok. I first happened to see Hailey at a pool
party and she was like on this big, like, shark floaty. It was like it was a big,
floaty shark. And I turned my head. I think I was like, What? 30s later. And she was gone. But she actually does this a lot. It’s true. Like she just vanishes. Hailey really wanted to move to Paris. So the reason why we chose Bordeaux is
because this was a new city to me as well. But moving back to France is going to be
harder after eight years living abroad. You kind of lose some connections. I don’t know anyone who lives in Bordeaux. In the past, I felt a little bit scared to
speak French, so I’m nervous about how quickly I’ll be able to acclimate, and I’m
just not sure what to expect. Bordeaux is perfectly located in southwest
France, right next to the Atlantic Ocean and close to the Pyrenees Mountains. One thing that strikes me about Alex and
Hailey is how confident they are about what they need to remember is that Bordeaux has
become very, very popular over the last ten years. It’s considerably more expensive than
the rest of France. Do you both speak Thai? Yes, we do. Yeah, both of us. Yeah. Even it’s our little secret language. Oh. Point of contention is the location I
love where you can just walk downstairs and there’s cafes, there’s restaurants. There’s everything you could want within
easy walking distance. We are looking for something with two
bedrooms. Okay. I would love to be in the city center. I wouldn’t be opposed to the idea of going to
the outskirt because something that’s quite important for us is having an office space. I love the classic French style tall windows,
light, bright and airy. I would also really love to have a bathtub. Being in a bath rejuvenates me like nothing
else. We have a car here and so it would be ideal
if we could park it. How much are you looking to spend? $2,000 per month. I mean, that might be quite difficult if you
want that central location with Bordeaux becoming such a popular destination over the
last decade to get everything they want, they’re going to be at the top end of what
they’re looking to spend. And I’ve noticed as we’ve been walking
around, there’s been so many delicious looking restaurants. Yeah, I mean, I know you’re going to like
this. I’m bringing Alex and Haley to this
appointment because it has space to work and that typical Bordelaise charm. I’m really pleased to be able to show Haley
a fabulous bath, because I know it’s really important to her. The only problem is that
does come at a price, and it doesn’t come with a parking spot. This is lovely. I love how the stone is almost polished. Very beautiful facade. And what we’re going to be looking at is a
three bedroom, one and a half bath, and it’s just come on the market at $2,000 a month. Yeah, it’s not bad. I mean, it’s a maximum. I feel like at the end of the day, this is
going to put a lot of pressure on us. Now, obviously, this place, as you can see,
does not have a parking spot. That’s another downside. That could still work for us. I mean, the location is right. Okay. Let’s take a look. Now, this is a place with character. Oh. Wow. This is magnifique. And then I absolutely love the stone. The natural exposed stone is so gorgeous. And then you have the kitchen. Well, it is fully equipped, so that’s. That’s a plus. I like it. The cabinetry, first off is looks a bit
dated. It’s kind of an aggressive color tone. It’s Bordeaux Red. So really it’s very in theme here. I don’t like wine that much. And up here we have three double bedrooms, so
you can have an office each. Three. Okay. Oh. And we have the first bedroom just at the top
of the stairs. Is this one of the secondary bedrooms or is
this the main. All three bedrooms are pretty much the same
size. I feel a slight bit claustrophobic as the
wall on the other side is so. Close. Even though there is the lack of parking
space. I like it. I like the little alcove. And then we have your bathroom. Oh, so you have double sink. Oh, this is. Oh. Yes. Oh, this is amazing. It’s a standalone tub as well. That looks so elegant. Okay, this bathroom has Hailey seal of
approval. Even in the walk up, I could really see what
my daily life would look like. I can really see that this could be my home. We have the two other bedrooms. Okay. I’m getting main bedroom vibes. Oh, okay. Yeah. Hailey is going to have her bathtub, so I’m
happy about that. Obviously, only downside. It seems to be this apartment being at the
very max. If you want a location like this, that’s what
it’s going to cost. Taking into account the things that I think
are most important to Alex and Hailey, they would be mad not to take this place. So I’ve brought you to the neighborhood of
Manhattan. We’re slightly out of the city center. It’s about a 25 minute brisk walk. Now, unfortunately, it doesn’t come with
parking. Okay. But what we’re going to be looking at is a
two bedroom, two bathroom townhouse. It’s on three floors here. Oh, is it this gorgeous white facade? It is, yeah. Oh, my God. Wow. Now it’s just come onto the market. It’s at $1,900 a month. I mean, it is still on the high end of the
spectrum. Now, on the ground floor, we have kind of
like a reception area. I recommend we take the lift after you. Okay. Oh, that’s really cool. Yeah. Oh, my gosh. Kings and queens. Okay. Okay. Oh, I already like what I’m seeing. Excellent. I like the staircase, and. I’m feeling really drawn to this exposed
stone. Tell me what you think of the kitchen. Yes. This kitchen is great. Nice modern appliances. That’s a pretty good size oven. It’s great. Definitely. And they’ve retained this window as well. So loads of natural light. Okay. Yes, I like that a lot. Here we have one of the two bedrooms, which I
thought would make a really, really good office space. What do you think? Well, you said it’s a bedroom. Ha, ha. No, I. Do love a surprise. Oh, wow. Ooh. Okay, That’s really cool. Yeah, it’s very well thought. He’s a relatively simple man, you know, like,
give him an office chair and a desk, and he’s happy. What do you make to this? Okay. Yes. Oh, this is amazing. I love how it brings the outside in. I can see that Haley is feeling good here. But the downside is the absence of parking
spot. I love how the bedroom and everything here
wraps around the terrace. Oh, interesting colors. Oh. Ha ha ha ha. Oh, no. Oh, you don’t like that? Yeah. That’s a little too much. But it is very French. I’m not really vibing with the accent walls,
but I have the most important thing, which is the office space. A nice little space area here. Yeah, this is really cute. Oh, and this. I feel like this could open up and be a
great desk for me. This could be. Yeah, that’s exactly what it is. But let me show you the bathroom. Nice size shower. Yeah. No bath. Oh, no. Oh, no. Oh, no. Poor Haley. Is it too much to ask for a bathtub and
everything else I want? What I always recommend to my customers is
that they do a list of 4 or 5 things that are really important to them. Everything else is just a bonus. So tell me, what do you make of this place? I do wish we were closer to the city center,
but the charming, exposed brick and wooden floors, tall windows, that’s all so
wonderful. Okay. It has all the space we need. But there is the fact that there is no
parking spot here. There’s also the price. Alex and Haley have got a very detailed list,
and it’s going to be difficult to find all of that in the city center. But all attempts to satisfy their lengthy
wish list in one place have failed. So Eleanor focuses on what’s important to
Alex’s bottom line. This apartment is well under what they’re
looking to spend. This is a very, very attractive
neighborhood. Now it’s in a new development which may not
appeal to Haley’s style. This looks pretty residential. We are slightly out of the city center. I do notice that we’re in the midst of a lot
of buildings, none of which look particularly charming or French. It’s a little more industrial. It’s a very new development. But bear with me, because what are we going
to be looking at is a two bedroom, two bathroom duplex. It’s on two floors. It comes with a parking space. Oh, now this is on the market at $1,500 per
month. So we’re well under what you’re looking to
spend. Okay. Okay. All right. We like the sound of that. So come on in. Oh, wow. So nice and sociable. I think I like the couch, but it’s a bit
dark. Now the dining room is over here. Great. These would not be the chairs I would have
chosen. I like the wood plank table. The wallpaper. Not my favorite. Okay. Oh, this is nice. I love this countertop. Yeah. This is going to make me want to get
back into cooking. Yes, this is nice. Okay, let me show you upstairs. Perfect. So I’ll take you straight into the
main bedroom. Okay. Oh, is that a projector screen? It is, Yes. Wow. Okay. I’m also getting the sense here that
everything is very, like, new and kind of cheap feeling. I was hoping for something
more charming, a little bit more French. Got to consider the price as well. You know, it is cheaper. Yeah. Alex tends to be quite minimal in his
decor choices, which he’s fine. Like if it’s just a white wall with nothing
on it, no pictures, no nothing. And for me, like, I can’t really stand blank
space. So this work. Alex That. Could work. Yeah, definitely. Actually, it’s easy for me to project myself
into my work environment. I’m wondering where I would work from. I would prefer to be in my own kind of
little closed off space so that I can be separate from whatever’s going on in the
middle, the center of the house. But I do have a surprise for you, Hayley. Really? In the. Bathroom? Oh. Don’t say. Dada. No. Yes. You give me a bathtub, I give you a big
smile. This is nice. The double sink. Okay, we. Got a nice big mirror. I like. That. It definitely could settle for this
house. I feel a bit lukewarm. I’m not feeling the level of charm that I
had hoped to find here. And it’s a bit far out of the city center. But the bath tub. That is. All that. I really need. In my opinion, this is workable, especially
so I have my own office space and also I like the price. I don’t even want to take the trim. I want to be in the city center. And that’s what the charming river view in
the city center has going for it. And I am concerned about pricing. We got to feel confident about being able to
pay this every month. The Charming River view in the center of the
city. Now this is a place with character naturals
exposed. Stone is so gorgeous. I mean, I am concerned about the pricing. The townhouse has an amazing office space for
both of us. This is amazing. I love how it brings the outside in, but. There is no parking spot. The new build in the residential
neighborhood. We’re in the midst of a lot of buildings,
none of which look particularly charming or French. To consider the price as well. You know, it is cheaper. Yeah. The parking spot. I mean, it seems like it is really hard to
find parking in Bordeaux, but I feel like for both of us, it’s not really the ideal
location. Yeah, I completely agree with all of those
points. It was too dark and way too far out of the
city center to justify saving money. What do you think of this townhouse in
Sharon? I really loved that space. I mean, the whole place is just lit up like
a sunbeam. Agree. It’s so attractive. I really like it. And except on the top floor in the bedroom. Oh, yeah. The closets are really a downside
for me. I don’t even want to take the tram. I want to be in the city center. And that’s what the charming river view in
the city center has going for it. The bathtub, French charm, three bedrooms. Yeah, well, the only negative point is the
price tag. Obviously, we wouldn’t be saving any money
at the end of the month. When I think about our lifestyle and all the
things we do working from home, I think we’ll be much happier ultimately in the townhouse. I agree. Oh, sure, we’re not right in the city centre,
but it does work out well. We do get out into the city quite a bit. We go to lots of great restaurants there. There’s markets happening all around our
house, which is such an incredible sign for me in France. I love that. I love this country.