I really wanted to be on House Hunters International, but it got vetoed... So here's what our episode would have been like...
Tim and Kari are young newlyweds in the Atlanta suburbs. Tim's company recently transferred him to their office in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Tim and Kari have known each other since meeting in their small high school in rural Pennsylvania. Now this small town couple is heading off for a new adventure in the big city.
Cue Theme Song.
Shot of Kari and Tim in apartment in Alpharetta, GA. They are looking at pictures of Dubai on their laptop and commenting on the pictures.
Kari: Oh look at that view! Tim nods in agreement.
Shot of Sutter and Troy families sharing meal at long table... Mr. Troy raises glass and makes a toast reminding Tim and Kari that their family is part of them and will always be with them. Narrator: After a goodbye dinner with family, Kari and Tim make the 7571 mile journey across the world to their new home in Dubai.
Having lived in Philadelphia, Chicago and Atlanta, Tim likes the energy and convenience of a big city. Kari lived at the beach in North Carolina and has always wanted to move back to the on-the-water lifestyle. They decide to center their search on the Dubai Marina, a man-made marina designed to be a "City within a City" that offers glamorous towers, shops & restaurants within walking distance, and incredible views of both the beach and the yacht filled marina.
As Tim and Kari explain what they want, the wishlist appears on screen...
We're looking for an apartment with at least 3 bedrooms, so that we have rooms for visitors and room to start a family.... Room to grow
I'm afraid of heights, so we can't have anything too high.... Lower floor
I love to cook, and the kitchen we have now has such a small stove, so we want a big kitchen with nice appliances (Kitchen) and we definitely want a big balcony with a view and dining area so we can have dinner parties (Room to Entertain).
A nice gym and pool are important to us, and access to the highway, restaurants and shops.... Good Location
Tim will be busy and important with work, so Kari is doing most of the hunting on her own. Most of the places she's seen have been nice, but just not ideal... there was the beautiful apartment with a waterfall in the living room at the edge of the Marina that had a view of the neighboring power plant; the spacious apartment with the prettiest view but was on the 29th floor and the balcony had a very low railing (Kari: Tim's 6'4"... this would barely reach his thighs); the beautiful kitchen but cramped living and dining rooms; and the perfect apartment with an amazing kitchen that was miles from any stores and no water view. After weeding through the options, Kari decides on 3 apartments to show Tim.
Shot of Kari and Tim arriving at place #1... a 3 bedroom duplex across the street from the Yacht Club on the 2nd floor. This one is significantly under their budget. Kari: It's rare to find apartments with both an upstairs and downstairs, and I really loved the kitchen in this one.
Tim and Kari walk into apartment and into the kitchen. The kitchen has been recently updated. It has a large 5 burner gas range with a grill and griddle surface, an island, pot rack hanging from the ceiling, built in wine rack, dual hidden refrigerators/freezers (hidden to look like cabinets), a cappuccino maker built into the wall, and opens to the large living/dining room. The counters are a little dirty. They both open cabinets and drawers, oohing and aahing over the features. They move into the living room with its high ceilings and built in book shelf. They walk out to the balcony, which overlooks a busy street, with the Yacht Club on the other side. Tim: Well it's pretty low and close to the street. Are you ok with it not being too private? Kari: I am, and you'll see why.
They look quickly at the dirty powder room downstairs (Tim: I think something died in there) and then go up the stairs. The stairs are covered with a burgundy carpet with gold circles. At the top of the stairs is a small loft area (Tim: This would make a great office/study area). They go into the master bedroom. It is a fair size, enough to hold their furniture. Kari walks across the room and opens the door to a second balcony. It is slightly higher from the street level and offers a slightly better view. They cross the hall to see 2 more bedrooms, with yet a third balcony facing the rear of the building. Kari: See why I'm ok with the balcony not offering privacy? There are THREE balconies to choose from!
Back downstairs in the kitchen, they discuss the place. It is in desperate need of professional cleaning, but they discuss the possibility of using the remainder of their budget to have the cleaning done and the carpet removed.
Later that week, a realtor who Kari had previously met calls and suggests that they check out an apartment in a building right on the Marina Walk. Apartment #2 is a penthouse level (4th floor, not the top), right at budget and is fully furnished. Kari picks up Tim from work and they meet at the apartment. Walking in, they notice the gold wall treatments, making the wall look as if it is made out of gold. (Kari: Oooh, how pretty) They check out the enormous living/dining room with its interesting decor... larger than life sized naked lady lamps, over-sized jewel toned furniture, red chandelier, large elephant tusk, sparkly wall treatments. Tim: Our furniture is being shipped, so we'll have to ask them to remove all this.... except those lamps... They walk into the HUGE kitchen. It has a nice stove, nice refrigerator, and eat in table. Kari: um... no dishwasher? The real estate agent nods "yes" and points to the sink. Kari decides not to argue and wonders whether she can hand wash all the dishes for 3 to 5 years. They walk out to the terrace. It is enormous and overlooks the marina. Tim: We could have huge dinner parties here. Think about all the entertaining we can do! They walk back inside to look at the maid's room, a common feature in apartments in Dubai. It is larger than most maid's rooms but still fairly small. Kari: Where does that window open to? She opens the window and hot dusty air blows in her face... it is the elevator shaft. Oh, well that's... different. They move on to the bedrooms. There are 2 and both have a bathroom ensuite.
The realtor calls later as the are discussing the place. While they love the outside terrace, they are concerned that it is only 2 bedrooms. They express this concern to their realtor. She replies "Well it's 2 bedrooms plus maid's so that's fine." Kari wonders if she could pass off the maid's room as a guest room.
A week later, Kari again fills her afternoon with apartment viewings and decides to take Tim to see one more. They schedule a second viewing for Saturday when Tim is off work. Apartment #3 is a 4 bedroom apartment in a building next to the metro station and directly across the street from the Dubai Yacht Club and is right at budget. They walk into the apartment (Kari: it's apartment 1404... every place Tim and I have lived has had two 4's in the number) and straight to the living room. The building is circular which makes the room an odd shape, but it is massive. Kari walks over to the floor to ceiling windows that look over the marina and Yacht Club, and shows Tim the built in blinds. They walk out to the balcony. It's a good size, but the smallest of the 3 places they've looked. The view of the marina is amazing, and the Persian Gulf can be seen in the distance. They go back inside and Kari shows Tim the laundry room with a washer AND dryer (Kari: you NEVER see dryers in apartments here) on the way to the kitchen. It is equipped with a 6 burner gas range, refrigerator with water and ice dispenser in the door, and tons of cabinets. They are impressed with the quality of the appliances. They look at 2 identical bedrooms on the right side of the apartment that share a bathroom before crossing to the other side to view the Master bedroom and the smallest bedroom (Kari: it's the smallest and right next to the Master bedroom... this would be ideal for a nursery), both with ensuite bathrooms and access to the balcony. A trip to the pool and gym confirms that the building has nice the amenities they are after as well.
So which one did they pick?
The duplex with the gourmet kitchen?
The 2 bedroom with an amazing terrace for entertaining?
Or the 4 bedroom with the good appliances?
