Andrea and Randall love the outdoor life in Salt Lake City, Utah: hiking, skiing, snow shoeing, etc. But for fun in Puerto Escondido, Mexico, the situation changes a bit: exploring, snorkeling, swimming and relaxing! On a previous trip to Puerto, the couple purchased an empty lot with plans to build their dream home from scratch, but so much for best laid plans. Now it seems best to save the hassle of building by buying an existing property.

Hidden Harbor Vacation Homes

Suzanne Whang

A Second Home in Slovenia

A House For Five In Switzerland

Karl's life took a huge turn in late 2007. The manufacturing company he works for sent him overseas from New York state to Edinburgh, Scotland. He found an expatriate social group and while attending a social event met Rachel. Soon Karl told her of his interest in buying real estate in downtown Edinburgh. Since Rachel has been a great guide for Karl and has helped immerse him in Edinburgh life, he's asked her to help in his house hunt...or rather -- his cool, hip Edinburgh apartment flat hunt. She recommended a local real estate company, Destiny Scotland, and soon Karl met Andrew Landsburgh, his realtor. Andrew is hip to the downtown market scene there and Karl couldn't be in better hands.

Hip Edinburgh Flat

Doug and Lindy Freeman had the dream of moving to St. Croix for many years. They were making a decent living back home in California, but are quick to disclose that they were not rewarding themselves for the hard work they were doing. They saved everything they could and cut back as much as possible. Finally, with saving and living "way below our means," they were able to move to St. Croix. They sold everything they owned and are now renting a home on the island. The Freemans now want to buy a single family home with a guest cottage or apartment so that their friends and family have a place to stay when they visit. They also want this guest space ready for an expansion as the kids get older and need more room to grow. They hope realtor Ness Fennessey can deliver. Only problem is, Doug wants to pay cash and even though the family has saved up, the Freeman's still don't have enough in the budget for everything they want in their island paradise.

Virgin Island Paradise

Antony and Stephanie met in 1989 in London through a mutual friend and were friends for eight years before they started dating. They were then married and were living together in London in a house Stephanie had bought when she was 21. Antony, a banker, has been offered a job in Switzerland and he and Stephanie have decided to take a step out of their comfort zone and move the family to Zurich. They believe that, along with a better job for Antony, it was a chance at better quality of life for them and their three daughters, Natalia, Katarina and Alexandra. Natalia, in particular, will benefit from the move. She is a special needs child and there is a school near Zurich that is known for the quality and care in which they help these kinds of students. They hope that all of these factors will make the transition and giant move they are making worth it. And they hope they can find the right home to suit their needs.

Emma and Tim live busy lives in Richmond, UK. Their decision to buy a property in Slovenia was a huge step for them. Their friends think they have gone MAD! Emma and Tim say they look normal on the outside, but on the inside they're full of spontaneity and adventure. They want to buy and perhaps renovate a second home with hopes of spending more time in the country and less time in the hustle and bustle of the city. Northern Slovenia is definitely one of Europe's undiscovered investment destinations and the Sheldrick's are excited to start hunting. Jade van Baaren was the first English speaking realtor to set up shop around northern Slovenia and the Sheldricks couldn't be in better hands.

Eric Theise and Vladimir Efros have been best friends for a long time. Eric has been living and working in NYC for almost his whole life, while Vladimir moved to the states in 1999. Vladimir introduced Eric to Panama four years ago and they have been visiting there quite frequently ever since. Now Vald and Eric want to buy property in Casco Antiguo, Panama. Eric wants a ''home,'' while Vladimir is looking for an investment that has potential to increase in value. They've hired realtor Patrizia Penzon to find a place that suits both of their distinct agendas.

Best Friends Invest in Panama

Chuck Nemecek's company has moved him to Paris, France. He's already there and hard at work. His wife, Jennifer, was excited at the idea of moving the family abroad, but thought things would move a bit slower. Turns out they were able to sell their house in the states only a week after they put it on the market and soon they'll be homeless. There's another problem: Chuck hasn't been able to find his family a new home in Paris fast enough. Now Jennifer and the kids are going to join Chuck in France and all four of them will live in a one bedroom hotel room until they can find a place that suits their needs -- and budget. They are looking for a 3 bedroom property in the northern suburbs of Paris. They would like to be close to the trains and a decent commute both to Chuck's work and the school they have chosen for their son. Jennifer has given up her job, they have given away their two dogs and they sold their beautiful home they were so fond of. They only hope that the property their realtor finds will make all of this change worthwhile.

Michiganians In Paris

Jonathan relocated to Berlin for professional reasons. While hanging with friends one night, he met Katja. That was about three years ago and now Katja is pregnant with their first child. The couple talked about buying property for a while, but the pregnancy helped jump start the house hunt. They both agree they are not meant for the suburbs; and when it comes to lifestyle and career, the more centrally located the better. Many pre-war structures in the heart of Berlin are now seeing development companies move in and give them complete makeovers. Realtor Tim Bogen works for Berlin Capital Investments and is ready to show them the loft of their dreams.

Updated Lofts in Historic Berlin

Happily married in Northern Ireland, Lydia and Roger didn't want to follow the conventional path of purchasing a holiday home in just any old European locale. Lydia was in a terrible accident a couple years ago and spent one year in a wheelchair. The road to recovery inspired the couple to live life with a new purpose and sense of adventure. They became fascinated with Turkish culture and wanted to immerse themselves in it. After a few visits to Didim, Turkey they decided it is the right place to purchase a holiday home. They've hired real estate professional James Dearsley to help them find a wise investment that is both a great getaway for the whole family and a rental unit while the couple is back home.

Holiday Homes in Mediterranean Turkey

The London based Ballard family of five has friends who own property in the Mediterranean beach town of Oludeniz,Turkey. Once, when the whole gang stayed there on holiday, they loved the place so much that mom and dad ended up buying an apartment for future vacations. So far, the weather has always been fabulous and the cost of living, mixed with a good exchange rate, has been a big plus. Jump to present day and the Ballard bunch is selling that first property with plans to upgrade to a private villa. Their realtor Denise Tangal has helped international buyers for years and will make sure the Ballards don't head back to London empty handed.

Private Villas in a Turkish Beach Town

Carmen and Alberto are looking forward to returning to their home town roots of Carrasco, Uruguay. They also feel their baby daughter, Trini, is missing out on the opportunity to grow up with her extended family members while living in Madison, New Jersey. But even though they are agreed on making the move and where they should live, the couple's opinions differ on style and layout. Carmen loves modern finishes and doesn't mind two-story homes, whereas Alberto is hoping for a more traditional ranch style property. Sandra Whitehead with Meikle Real Estate has been brought in to settle the score and put the lid on this family homecoming.

A Young Family Heads Home to Carrasco, Uruguay

Three years working in Japan and living in a boxed-sized apartment has Rob and Erich burned out. But all for not. They've saved every penny and are now back at Erich's mom's house in Toronto, Canada plotting their next move. Wanting a slower pace of life in a tropical locale, they've decided to start anew by buying a renovated home in historic Merida, Mexico. But their first attempt at buying a home there imploded and that disaster, and lost down payment, could have been avoided if they hired a professional realtor. Enter their new licenced agent Eric Partney. With years of experience, aka "Agent Eric" will make sure the house hunt is done right this time around. It won't be long before Erich and Rob are out of mom's place and living it up in the Yucatan.

Hacienda Style in Historic Merida

This spin-off of the wildly popular House Hunters goes around the globe. Home hunters and their realtors check out all sorts of architectural styles and work through the quirks of buying real estate in other countries.

Hidden Harbor Vacation Homes

Seasons209

Season 15 Episodes12

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