wannabe FTB

As well as Claremont, St Johns & St James are very good primary schools (I'm a little biased, I went to St Johns). 3 beds in the catchement areas go for approx £300k, some selling quickly but my dads in the St Johns catchment area just went for under asking, after a price drop and nine months on the market. However I went to look at a run down house with my dad with a view for him to do up and sell on at the weekend, but it was too expensive and the numbers didnt add up at all. But there were so many other people viewing in the one hour "open house" and they wanted bids in by Friday. We await the final figures on nethouseprices with interest!

I can't offer much on the advice front, but I'm really sorry to hear about your mum. My mum died from cancer nearly a year ago and my dad has been trying to sell their house for nearly nine months (already dropped the price once) he wants to be rid of the memories, he doesn't like coming home to an empty house at the end of the day, he's never had to do it before. Personally, I wouldn't do anything quickly, wait until you figure out how you feel about the house. Memories change. I used to find it diffiuclt to go and see dad at the house as all I could think about was mum not being there, but now I go round all the time and sometimes I don't notice til I get to my home that she wasn't there. Gradually the house is becoming more dads and more untidy (!) and less of her things are around. I hope you work out what to do with it, do what you can to make your future secure, as long as it makes you happy, it will make your mum happy. Mums are like that.

I work in accounts and find the knowledge is a complete mixture. One girl with a reasonably senior position was 20k in debt and didn't care/couldn't get out of it. My manager (who earns 40k) says the only reason he s not in debt is cos no one will lend him any money! He forgets to repay credit cards and so is now a credit risk! However my FD is finicially literate and knows the current situation and is impressed that I know a bit (mostly from reading this site). Between the two of us we are currently explaining to my manager that for our retail chain to be up 6% on sales year on year is very good in the current climate! Its more to do with a bad last year I think than a good year this year.

My dad is selling his house and is about to drop the asking price. He is selling because my mum died in April and he wants to move out and away from the memories and I don't blame him! Although the 300% profit he will make sounds good in theory, in practise he recently received a pensions projection that when he retires in 10 years or so he will get £100 a week. So he'll need all that profit to invest to live on. Its a 3/4 bed house near a good school for £325k, I think hes going to drop it to £310k and hope someone offers £300k.

I am 23, prices over £100k are all I know. all other similar houses in town are on for £160k plus so relative to them it would be good

they appear serious about selling, but thought we were taking the mick with our offer. We'll leave our offer there and see what happens. I am by no means desparate to buy, just thought if we could get it for £145k it would be a good price for a nice area. I don't know why the EA bothered telling us the vendor was annoyed, as if they'd just said "they want £150k" I'd probably have gone home and begged hubby to let me offer that much, but as it is I'm annoyed now and we'll leave it. Our rented flat is nice, if a little small, and we'll keep our eyes open for any other good deals which may appear. I'm probably too nice and polite to do a lot of the things suggested here with lowering offers!

This time last week I was all set to be the next HPC-believer to switch to the dark side and buy... but I think I changed my mind again! I currently rent a one bed flat with my husband for £650 a month, and we wanted more room. a bit of research showed we'd need to go to £700 or even £750 for a nice 2 bed flat. Wanting to look at this from all angles I then checked what a £750 a month mortgage would get us and was pleasantly surprised to find it would get a 2 bed terrace. So we found one we liked for £159,950 and the sellers are desperate to move as they have somewhere to go to and their buyers pulled out 10 days ago, so our first offer is £140k, rejected. Fair enough I think, so we go back with £145k, 10% under. Just a call from the EA and apparently we have p1ssed the owners off and they are threatening to take the house off the market if that is the best offer the EA can get them. Sellers won't listen to anythign under £150k so they can get lost. The house doesn't show up on nethouseprices.com so they have made about £100k and they are quibbling over the last few grand. they can get lost, I will stay in the light and keep renting and buy it from them in 2 years for £100k.

When people claim prices will drop 40% do you mean taking into account inflation? i looked at the figures for the early nineties the other day, and the average house price feel from a peak of £69k to a low of around £60k, which is just over 10%. (can't remember which figures I looked at I think Halifax or Nationwdie) So when people say in last crash places fell 30% it must be taking into account inflation. So how does inflation help a renter? Won't it make my deposit worth less money?

New build 2 flats next to St James school which began life at £285k, before dropping to £245k are advertised in this weeks courier at starting at £199k!!! thats a massive drop! These particular flats remind my husband of an insane asylum, but whether that says something about him or the flats I don't know!

The new build falls are going to be even bigger than that, there is a total glut of 2 bed apartments just within 1/2 mile of the town centre. Calvery Heights, the 6 "luxury" apartments on my road are two beds and dropped from £249k to £225k which has undercut the 8 two beds down by St James school which have dropped from £285k to £245k. (And aren't even billed as luxury!) There are more new unsold flats in the Culverden area, some being built near Trinity Arts centre, some being built right on the A26 and some near the old gas works. There are more than this but I don't know the locations of all of them and other new builds over £300k I don't bother keeping an eye on. Its absolute madness, hubby and I are watching for when one of them goes bankrupt and see about maybe picking one up at a bargin price.

I got a 25% pay increase for changing jobs over the summer. This was partly helped by gaining a qualification. I work in accounts so there is a structured route upwards if I can be bothered to put in the hours and study whilst I work. Annual reviews at the new company are in April, it is expected we will cost of living payrises (the first in 4 years) but nothing more. I have been told there is an incentive to pass my exam in the summer but they've not told me what!

About the cancer thing, I think is there little point changing lifestyle to avoid it. My mum has just been diagnosed with bladder cancer and shes 52. never smoked ever and drinks possibly half a pint of cider every three months. the average age for bladder cancer is 67, its three times more common in men and it is sometimes caused by smoking. So there is no reason other than bad luck shes got it! As her mum had kidney cancer and died of a brain tumour, her dad had skin cancer and her uncle died of brain tumour, I'm guessing its something to do with genes.

lots of blocks of flats being finished in tunbridge wells. Its on the commuter line to London but even so they are asking for £250k plus for two bed flats. Its stupid, i'm tempted to go and have a look at them and laugh. There are two blocks just finished down my road, a new block completed a few months ago in the town centre, another being built in the centre, planning permission given for more to be built where the old cinema was, and another one about to be finished ten minutes walk from town centre. none are selling. The block finished in the summer by a train station still has ten or so to let and for sale signs.

this thread is unbelievable. I read the channel 4 forum quite a lot and ftbers are always told we're expecting too much and to buy a one bed and shut up cos everyone has it tough. When I buy I'd like to buy somewhere big enough to have a family, as my dream has always been to be a full time mum. i don't see this happening as there is no way even with 30% drops we could buy on my husbands salary.

If prices fall I will benefit (I'll be able to afford a home for a start!) But two friends have bought recently and although they are ok at the moment as far as the future is concerned, either I'll be happy, or they'll be happy. Its not gonna be rosy for all us. One friend who bought with her husband recently, the mortgage is £100 MORE than her monthly salary. Don't know what the husband earns but I'm hoping its a lot...