1. symo said...

Wow the estate agents are fast running out of immunity cases aren't they. First it was Scotland, then London, then central London, now market towns. What next? Sheds located in 200 acres with no utlities?

3. letthemfall said...

More house ramping from Halifax. The nice places have always been more expensive and rely on buyers with plenty of money. That doesn't mean that prices won't fall there too, especially as the rich who could afford the high prices are more likely to lose their highly paid jobs in finance.

5. paul said...

The media are still in denial - aren't they getting just a little bit embarrassed about their own editors' bias yet?

The public and these papers' readers worked out quite some time ago that rising house prices are good for;

1. Mortgage lenders
2. Estate Agents
3. DIY stores
4. Newspapers with big property advertising sections

And no-one else. So why do newspapers, estate agents, and lenders keep trying to convince us that falling house prices are a really bad thing?

7. titaniccaptain said...

Sorry about the spelling as usual guys.........it comes with being a creative genius and modest

9. Orwell said...

Great I will change the name of my area.

Southmead - on - Market, Bristol...
Market Mosside, Manchester...

Well get the drift?

11. last_days_of_disco said...

I think the general hatred of ex-London dwellers is misdirected. They couldn't really push the prices up if the locals had a thriving local industry. That is the prime cause. Basically there is nothing happening in the country. The finance sector has become way out of whack and really mucked up the balance, that is now correcting. You should welcome ex-Londoners and make them feel at home. The money they bring in keeps many of these towns going. Smart local leaders will try to keep the new comers by making things attractive.

You are right however that due to the stupid increase in prices in London, the countryside has been flooded with Londoners escaping. Pray they won't all leave again. Maybe they will be able to work from home using the Internet and actually become effectively local branches of the companies they worked for in London. Reviving dying schools, bringing volunteers for local organizations, etc, etc.

There are some real pluses to this bubble that people have yet to really appreciate. The fact is that lots of people who have discovered there is life outside the M25 was basically because of high house prices and now they have learned to love it and don't want to go back.

13. Katewinslet'sraft said...

Well said, Titaniccaptain. I have a good friend who lives in Devon and has seen locals driven out by Londoners doing exactly what you said.
People like that also buy second homes...only go there in the summer months and then local youngsters can't afford to buy homes in their own area. You end up with houses empty for most of the year and the local communities reduced to one pub and lots of gift shops. It happens all over the country and its disgusting.

15. it_is_going_with_a_bang said...

Did I just read that right? Because people have paid more to live there over the last few years that means that prices will be affected less than anywhere else?

I can't really see what is being said here? It's a pointless article which doesn't really make a point. Other than state facts about the last few years rises. Which of course is completely meaningless in the next few years.

17. nopensionnohouse said...

!!!!

http://www.thisisnewsquest.co.uk/
http://www.newsquest.co.uk/
http://www.gannett.com/

19. malct said...

and?

21. nopensionnohouse said...

"... to educate Americans about the world..." was the official line.

23. last_days_of_disco said...

@titaniccaptain

Well I was taking a risk taking a somewhat contrarian position on a site like this.

The point I was making was that looking at the people and companies I have found in the countryside I am convinced the economy is unsustainable. Unless you want to all go back to horse drawn carriages and stuff. Basically we have to find a way of moving more of the workforce out of London/Manchester/Liverpool/insert city into the countryside. The Internet makes that a lot more possible.

This is not a bad thing if you want your local pub/shop/post office to stay open. I am not talking about monopoly money here. There may be a good percentage of the jobs held by people who work in London, etc that are bogus, fair enough. However many folks actually come from those towns and villages originally (you speak as though they are aliens from another planet). Do you not want these people back contributing to your economy. You are forgetting house prices is only one piece of the picture and a declining piece at that (thankfully).

The repairs to the local village buildings (like the 13th century church, etc) are paid for by donations from people who have good paying jobs and the fact is that those jobs are going to remain in London, etc, no matter how much you rant and rave. Resorting to stupid violence is just going to result in your area becoming a sink estate. Deal with it.

Try and see what I was saying. I too despise the retirees trying to tip it the Lord of the Manor, but I am not talking about them, I am talking about people with good jobs and kids who are going to be part of the community and may already have family locally.

Remember in the Great Depression 70% of the workforce kept their jobs. So there will still be lots of folks looking for a safe place for their kids to go to school outside of the centres. Its an opportunity for country towns to bloom.

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