Nomadd

Depressing for me - who wants to buy a place at a sensible price. I'm getting old! 🙂 But, I'm also hopeful that the madness has to stop at some point. Mind you, I've been saying that for the 13 years I've been on this site... ..And all I have to show for that is a resident dickhead claiming that I must be an EA because I don't see price falls which currently don't exist..(and no, £2 million off a £10 million Prime Central London shoebox doesn't count. 🙂) Yes, I am seeing "reduced" against some properties, but they were listed this very year at prices that were 10%-20% higher than 2017's already peak kite-flying insanity, so not really reductions at all. I can, and will, hold on for another 2-3 years, max. But after that, I've no choice. No way I'm going to be in a rented place in retirement. Fingers crossed we'll see IR rises coming thick-n-fast over that period, because short of that - or a post-Brexit collapse - I don't see much else to reverse the continuing madness. If anyone disagrees with me, please don't argue or throw insults. Just do as I asked above and post links to decent sold properties in the areas I've mentioned on this thread showing the genuine price reductions required to achieve a sale. I can't find any.

And we wonder why this site has lost so many posters.. ..Even the Bears amongst us get labelled as EAs. 😲 I'm looking to buy in Altrincham (in the NW) at the moment. If you can provide links to decent houses in decent locations with decent price reductions - to match your reality-distortion field - then please go ahead. People like myself, Venger and many others can't seem to find them.. Maybe your EA's office is the only one with such properties on it's books? As I say, I'd love to see these dramatically reduced properties as soon as you can arrange the viewings. Your fat commission awaits. 🤑

And yet buying they are. I'm in North London, and took a walk to pick up my car after an MOT yesterday as the weather was nice. Passed at least half a dozen houses along the way, and all had "SOLD" plastered on the boards. No idea what the achieved prices are until a few months from now, I guess. But still, I didn't pass anything that hadn't sold pretty quickly. Depressing, but true, I'm afraid. :(

Open-plan kitchen, dharling. Worth a £100k premium any day of the week.

I went to a state school... Now, 40 years worth of hard work later, I've just about got over it.

I've been running my own business for 30 years. I have more than enough hobbies, interests and friends to prevent my existence becoming empty. :)

Correct. Which is why my own pension planning is for 4-5 times that amount. And mortgage free. At 60. And yet most people I speak to think they can retire way, way earlier on vastly less pension, whilst at the same time living the life of a very good wage-earner. The moment you talk to them about pensions and investments - of which they mostly have none - they switch off. Or it's "my house is my pension.." :)

Problem is, most couples don't have that £260k "each", let alone full state pension for both (35 qualifying years now, don't forget.) And how many folks want to wait until 67-69 just to get the state pension before they retire? Not many. Most folks I speak to think they will be retired by 60 - at the very latest.. Latest Morning Star research suggests you may be looking at a SWR of sub 2%, so £260k brings you in just £5k. Not sure how many folks can live on that until they are nearly 70 waiting for state pension (and even then you'd only have £13.5k to live on - about half the recommended figure of a comfortable retirement.) OK, different for a couple, but in most cases you can't simply "double" the retirement figures for a majority wage-earning single. An annuity with 3% escalation for a 65 year old will make that £8k, but with only a 10 year guarantee; your pension planning should be for at least 30 years if you are looking to retire at 60, for example. And all those folks with 30 year or I/O-only mortgages on shoe boxes that they are taking into retirement, let's not even get started..

Should have gone into BTL, Bruce. You'd be retired by now. Oh, wait.. :)

But did you grab a Greggs Sausage Roll? Your Country needs you. 😂

Nerd.

And yet the BBC are allowed - using our tax money - to teach our young children how to spot fake news: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/school-report-43391188 To quote "..take on the role of a journalist in the BBC newsroom" (OK, you can stop laughing now at the very idea of "BBC" and "journalism" in the same sentence..) "Now, Children - Property prices always goes up?" Answer: NOT fake news.

Venger - Give us an update on the NW forum when you have the time, especially if you are looking to buy. From what I can see, it's peak madness and then some at the moment. Not sure I'd be buying anything right now. Next few years are looking good for falls, IMHO. But hey, who knows.

He's probably got lost on one of his "I will dig my way through one million old posts before I reply" journeys. Once you entry the HPC Matrix...

This ^ Thought it's "yoof" target demographic had all moved to consuming content via mobile phone only at least 20 years ago.