andy_wants_a_home

YES. This time it is well different. First houses have never ever been overpriced by the extent they are at the moment. In some cases double or by 100% By the rule of 72 it takes about 24 years to double your money at 3% Or put another way for the burden of debt to be reduced by 50% At such low interest rates the burden of debt remains noticeable for much much longer Therefore if you buy a house thats over priced by 100% (as now) you need to wait 24 years before paying back a normal rate. Inflation has helped many current home owners pay of debt and aee their burden of debt reduced. If interest rates stay low it could take 24 years of no rises in property prices for normality to be resumed.

I am quite stunned by all this. Is this Government really that stupid as riser said 'Leveraging the exposure of key workers and FTB to this market to further your own political goals is criminally irresponsible.' This is the kind of reason I did not vote this Government in. It seems to me they have created a mess and will try and hide it for as long as possible. The last five or six years for me has been a complete nightmare, looks like the nightmare is set to continue. What the feck is up with this f****g government. Put simply this coutry is completely screwed. Please tell me someone the latest Government proposals aren't for real. Is this Government for real. Perhaps they have realised what a mess the UK housing market really is in, and knew time was about up, with possibilities of it all being uncovered to the public at large, and now try to hide the problem for even longer. What's next negative interesst rates as well as leveraging. Did Gordon Brown do any economics?, has he got any common sense? Hase he got more than one brain cell? I hope this well and trully turns to sh1t. I can only think its a bit like buying Marconi shares at there peak using CFDs. I think riser sums it up Leveraging the exposure of key workers and FTB to this market to further your own political goals is criminally irresponsible.

I fear that they could be stupid and get suckered in. VIs lies damn lies. I feel it is stupidity (on both sides) and greed that has caused this situation to happen. Why on earth can't the BBC or CH4 produce a non VI program instead of the crappy VI sh1te they 'produce'

I.R. UP I says so.

The Bank of England and this c**p government are as irresponsible as one another. I for one would like to see rates go up. Bring on rate rises. To 15% I think would be good. Bloody good for me. Sorry to sound selfish, but no ones given a damn for the plight of would be ftb, excepting for people on this forum. I had to put up with real drops in wages and effective droops by virtue my effecive spending power is substantially less than when I started work (and I have been regraded many times) about time something decent happened. Bring on interest rate rises

Estate agents should all go and get a job where they have to work for their money!

Why wait. Make it now. Offer 50% below asking price now!! And if enough did that we might get back to normal.

Paying anyone in proportion to house prices is not the answer. We have got to this silly situation, where we are at today, with the majority of would be ftb's unable to afford. I can only imagine more money inflating prices further. The fundamental problem needs to be sorted. To name three: GREED, GREED and GREED.

And now Bank of Ireland to axe 2100 jobs as profits rise!!

I would have like another questionaire, for would be first time buyers, of how much as a percentage they would be paying if they brought. Maybe assume a certain percentage deposit. Mine would be around 70%!!!

Granted it is stretching credibility a bit, I was more getting at the shape of the graph, not actually any true relationship between the company and on hpi or hpd. And of course hoping that hp will follow a sinilar pateern, we've seen the uptrend, lets bring on the downtrend.

I have quite a few but OK, not too many, fortunately. I just wish I knew how to get the graphic in as hopefully it is a mini version of HP graph I may well hold as you can guess they are considerably down, £50/share would be a nice tidy sum. I am not too confident about averaging down on these as that could be a bad move?

I didn't think I was catching a boat, I thought I was buying somewhere to live. So I missed the boat (hope it returns) I guess I am bitter.

Im a thirty something and consider myself to be well and truly f****d (and not in a nice way) Are you ******ed as well?

Firstly I must confess to owning some of these shares buying near the peak and even taking up there offer of more shares. Fortunately my exposure is limited. I would not want the same thing happening with a house purchase. However one fundamental difference I simply cannot affrd a house. However the main point is have you seen the share price! If you pretended it was in thousands of pounds could roughly be whats happening with house prices. Then look at the last two months, is this whats ahead for the housing market (I personally hope so) Roughly perhaps share price in pence = housing price in thousands Months = years Sorry I don't know how to get share price graphic in. Please would some one help. PS Trying to look on the bright side of what has turned out to be a disasterous investment, although it should not be viewed that way, I feel purchasing house would also go the same way. Please could someone get graphic in for 1 year span of Biofuels (LSE:BFC)

I too think that the media has a lot to answer for run by a lot of VIs. I consider the likes of BBC to be most irresponsible. I am bitter about having to sit back and ride this out, this situation should never have been allowed to get this far out of control. No more return to boom and bust, didn't the PM say in 1997 (nearly PM)

Add to that Courts and Allders. And why did Apax pull out of buying Woolies after looking at the books? What did they find?

I am sure there was another but I remember one being definately before summer 2003. Just something I remember, but don't remember when it was exactly.

flats = overpriced appartments = even more overpriced

Yes and believe it was the express a few years ago that had front cover news 'House prices set to drop 30%' I wish I knew exactly when it was. At the time having been priced out the market but 20/25% per year rises welcomed the news. However time proved them wrong. It was kind of a relief reading the headline at the time, and thinking I will afterll be able to afford to buy. The article said the longer it ent on the more severe the correction would be, I am sure we are 2 or 3 years on from that article (maybe 3 or 4) and what have they been doing ever since going up and up and up, more and more out of reach. Does anyone know when this headline was in the express?

God help us if he goes into Europe. He's f****d up the UK good and proper, and then possibly go off and f*** up the rest of Europe. Quite agree all he's interested in is being in the record books. Now we have to put up with more of that grin, that all started in 97. I trust he does know what kind of state we are in, or is he an even bigger fool. Bliar I guess will get a fall guy in. Increasing the level on stamp did little to help, as nothing under £120k in many places, also we are talking a minr consideration when since hes been in wages up about 35% houses up 200% (at least were I am and work). When ios the f*****r going to wake up and sort this country out, instead of being more concerend with what goes on in Iraq. Complete t****r. At least Bliar may now be in when the true enormity of the situation unfolds, and the so called economic miracle gets blown apart. I don't think he needs to ***** the bubble. I guess it will happen on its on accord, and hopefully will be spectacular.

I am sure it is not in there best interest to come and collect. Free advertising, maybe you should have charged the EA rent. The extrortionate amount they make on the sale they dont need to collect anyway. Charge 'em rent!

True compounding is wonderful when you are on the right side of it. My concern is the huge deposit required to buy a shoebox = no savings, Lifetime of debt. No compunding on savings as there isnt any. Lifetime of unmanagemenable debt = no life = NMA I am well and truly f****d. What is the point of working?

I feel we need a recession to get us back to normality. I guess a recession would suit me (but not if it last too long!!)

OK I think I get it, but the number of left hand parenthesis should be the same as the number of right. Having said that what on earth does it all mean? I think the answer is 42