Spirit

Expats still in denial/anger phase.... http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread....t=296786&page=2

http://news.ft.com/cms/s/c29d409c-adbc-11d...000e2511c8.html Great start.... Shame about the ending....

OK own up - who's responsible? http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=296529

Apologies if this has already been posted... Announcement on dti web page today.

Any takers? Link: http://community.channel4.com/eve/ubb.x/a/...81/m/6900097291

Here in the Mendips there are lots more properties for sale this month, but not many selling. I havent noticed significant reductions yet - just houses coming back on to the market (at the same price they didnt sell for at the end of last year!)

After denial comes...anger.... http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread....t=294818&page=3

Here's what she had to say... "The Halifax has announced today that houses prices rose by 0.5% in March. It looks like the housing boom is still continuing much to the annoyance of the Doom Monkeys and the scaremongers and panic merchants who want to talk the property market down. House prices are just going up and up and up and up, with no signs of a slowdown let alone a crash. House prices are predicted to double in the next five years particularly when Britain joins the Euro meaning that interest rates will be more than half those in the UK today. With the introduction of the 50 year mortgage at opposed to the traditional 25 year mortgage and conrtinuing shortages of supply and ever rising demand for property it can only mean that house prices will continue to rise in the foreseeable future. The problem that first time buyers are having getting a foot onto the property ladder is entirely their fault because they are being too picky and fussy and cannot assume that they can buy a property in the location they like and they need to get realistic and get on their bike and go to a location where they can afford a property. First time buyers who are priced out of the property market will need to resort to borrowing more money or getting their friends or relations to lend them the money in order to get onto the property ladder. Some FTBs are waiting for a property crash but they are just wishing their lives away because a crash in property prices are now a thing of the past because as long as unemployment and interest rates remains low then there will be no property crash. Some first time buyers will need to accept that they may never own a home of their own and will only ever get a home if they inherit a property from a relation or if they are prepared to enter shared ownership with a group of people to club together to buy a house. The last property crash happened because interest rates rose to 15% and unemployment rose, but this is not going to happen this time. First time buyers will just have to accept that the property market has undergone a fundamental structural change to reflect the new economic environment of low global inflation, low interest rates and high employment. High house prices is as a result of the change in economic fundamentals and first time buyers will just have to accept the fact that high house prices are here to stay. First time buyers are better advised to get onto the property ladder now because house prices are set to double in the next five years as Britains joins the Euro, leading to another massive surge in house prices."

Me too. The worst thing is that our licence fee paid for it!

Do you want to make money while you sleep?

I loved this.. Perhaps if you stand on tiptoes you can just about see a blade of grass!

Is the penny finally dropping? http://community.channel4.com/eve/ubb.x/a/.../1990007871/p/2

Sounds like the Easter weekend was disappointing for house sellers on the expats forum.... http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=292994

http://money.msn.co.uk/investing/Insight/T...ors/default.asp

Is energyi someone from hpc? energyi wants to know: "Isnt it way too expensive to buy when buying costs more than renting, and you also have the risk of capital loss?" Phil Spencer and Ashley Ramsay said: Phil says...Long term no it is not. While you are renting you are paying off somebody else's mortgage. Should the property market remain stationary you would be better of reducing your own mortgage as opposed to somebody elses. Of course markets can go down as well as up, however over the long term the UK market has always risen.

You seem to have ruffled some feathers on Motley fool... http://boards.fool.co.uk/Message.asp?mid=9195586

OK, you win! Its on all channels too...just counted nearly 10 hours of property related drivel today on channels 1-4. No wonder the housing market is in the state it is!

Too true, but calm down Fred...you can enjoy an insight into the lives of some "real" people next...a family who cant afford to move up the housing ladder and are "staying put", followed by a musician who needs to sell the contents of his attic to raise the money to restore his car (what no MEW?). Maybe over the coming months we'll see fewer young couples with 350K burning a hole in their pocket who want to move to the countryside and paint!

It seems that the landlady featured was Lady Lea of Housemouse fame... http://community.channel4.com/eve/ubb.x/a/...41/m/6300018971

Re: Article advising de-clawing of cats. Following a number of complaints to the estate agent at Cluttons quoted in the article, Rosie Millard has printed a correction in todays Sunday Times.

Great stuff Sledgehead! Having been "off sick" for the last week I too watched HUTH last week. As well as becoming irritated by the fact that the "profit" achieved is meaningless as it never takes into account any fees, or loan costs, I too became increasingly sceptical about the claims made. The amount of time between purchase and sale/new valuation is usually unclear and it appears that an actual sale is rarely achieved...relying instead upon a valuation from an estate agent or report of an offer made by "a builder who came round to provide a quote" Finally, like any good fairy story...they all seem to have a happy ending!

Apparently the estate agent in question (Amelia Greene from Cluttons estate agency in Kensington) is claiming that Rosie Millard misquoted her and has asked for a correction to be printed! Sloppy journalism or Estate agent U-turn?

Make sure you dont use this agency or you'll be advised to declaw your poor moggy... http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspaper/0,,...1518688,00.html “Our advice to landlords is this. Ask if cats can be declawed. This is already quite popular with American cats. And insist on an additional deposit to cover any pet-induced wear and tear. We take two weeks’ worth of money on top of our normal deposit of six weeks’ rent. Then the tenants have to have the property professionally cleaned when they leave, which covers the smell issue.†Agents can insist on quarterly, rather than six-monthly, inspections and Cluttons has devised a pet licence to animal-bearing tenants, which threatens pet removal should there be complaints from neighbours.

As far as I'm aware the practice of de-clawing cats is illegal in UK... http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspaper/0,,...1518688,00.html “Our advice to landlords is this. Ask if cats can be declawed. This is already quite popular with American cats. And insist on an additional deposit to cover any pet-induced wear and tear. †Look out for the backlash from the feline fraternity!