BearGlas

Different strokes for different folks. The two hour lunch is great and it also means most shops are open until 19:00 because of it. France works, just in its own way. I spend much of my time there - in Chamonix - and I'm always amazed at their efficiency; take the delivery structure as an example: if what you are looking for is not in stock most retailers will manage to have it for you next day. Little wonder you can get fresher sea fish in the middle of the Alps than I've had anywhere in the UK. Productivity per man hour expended is amongst the highest in Europe and certainly higher than the States. Next time you are there: relax and enjoy the two hour break over a delicious EUR €10 meal which you know would cost £30 at home.

Get real. Come and see my family living in our small flat and tell me your house is too small. I dream of owning a three bed flat, never mind house. It's a no brainer. With that mortgage deal; simply stay put. Either build an extension or cull the kiddies plastic toys. You'd be amazed that they can live equally happy lives without a sea of plastic. Good look with the coming little 'un

That was my first reaction too but then I looked at the address. The area around Carrickmines might be called the Surrey of County Dublin, the "Hampstead" of Dublin - Dalkey - is only a stone's throw away and Carrickmines itself is close to the new motorway into the city. The "Bishop's Avenue" of Dublin of Stepaside and Kitiernan are next door. EUR €350k isn't bad all considered.

Ireland was great in the '80s. No one had any money but you didn't need money to enjoy life. Sure things were relatively expensive, especially with so little money kicking around, but you always knew someone who knew someone else who could get it for you. Housing was cheap. People had time. The roads weren't great but there was no traffic. There were almost no rules either. I remember driving from Dalkey to Whitehall in 15 mins at two in the morning. No traffic, no cameras. Even if stopped for going through a red light it was easy to talk your way out of it. It was an easy place to live in. Now it's a nouveau riche shit hole. Even worse, it's nouveau riche without the riches. As one journalist said: Ireland has become Denver, only with bad weather.

Funny isn't it. Couldn't stand him as PM but now I find every time I've heard in talking in recent years I agree with everything he says. Was he always talking sense and we didn't hear it before, or is he finally free of the mendacious party spin-doctors?

The horror! I was one of the first converts to CDs back in 1983 and then again to MP3s back in the mid-nineties. Recently I rediscovered LPs and there is nothing to compare with them. I've spent the last two years trying to recreate my whole CD library in vinyl. If you have any more you want to chuck out send me a PM.

The banks are already implementing worse. A good friend who does work for banks told me of a conversation he had recently with one branch manager. He asked the manager what is really happening in the lending market and the manager told him "nothing" he gave one example: senior Civil Servant on 120k per annum, owns his house outright probably worth 600k in the current market, wanted to borrow 150k towards a property in Spain costing 300k with both properties put up as collateral. He was refused.

If it was it certainly didn't deserve to be. It looks like a spec-built "Luxury Executive Two Bedroom Flat" pumped up on steroids. Yeuuch!

It's the Angles and Saxons I object to. Coming over here invading our country then being racist about any further in-comers. Briton for the indigenous Celts I say. But more seriously Lord Rumba of Rio has a point. A good friend of mine employs twelve in his sandwich business in central London. The only one British worker he has been able to find is a chap over seventy (retired teacher on a pitiful pension) who isn't afraid of hard work. The other eleven are from the far corners of the globe. Of course the wages are low, that's par for the course and always will be.

Also, bankers are being attacked on the streets. http://www.independent.ie/national-news/gi...et-1649057.html

I'm in the same boat at the moment myself. My brother and I are minor beneficiaries of a late aunt's house. Her surviving sister is the main beneficiary. As mentioned above a house is more to some than a mere investment. For my aunt's part the house reminds her too much of her sister and we feel it would be too upsetting for her to see successive tenants trashing the place. That has a been a principle reason is us jointly agreeing to sell. Before reaching this decision however my brother and I agreed between us that we would follow our aunt's wish whatever it might be. A house is just a bloody house at the end of the day and it's not worth falling out with family over it. You have to make your own judgement on how hard you push a family member to accept your viewpoint. Having said that. Our aunt died in September and we are still miles away from having probate anywhere near being ready enough to instruct an Estate Agent. We are watching the house price crash unfold before our eyes. Good luck.

No. Sterling melting away like last week's snow has been a body blow to Ireland. The UK is still Ireland's single biggest export market and the 25% exchange rate shift, plus everyone in the UK been skint of course, has over night turned off Ireland's principal market. They are fecked.

Foxtons Camden opened their massive trendy and no doubt ridiculously expensive super-branch right in the teeth of the recession. I walk past it regularly and I've never seen a single customer in it. There are dozens and dozens of workstations and I'd guess only about 5% of them are even staffed. I can't believe they've managed to keep such a white elephant open this long. Anyone looking for a lease on Parkway should keep an eye on this building. It will be empty soon.

I predicted he would be gone by the end of summer 2008. Shows you how much I know Now I think he will hang on for grim death. He will only go when forced out kicking and screaming at the last possible minute.

Well I have to say a big thank you to everyone here. In 2003 I received some settlement monies and every man and his dog told me to invest in BTL. I knew then it was a house of cards but stood back aghast as prices doubled and doubled again. Then in 2007 a friend was trying his best to get me to come in half-half with him on a development opportunity in Surrey. I still had a bad feeling about things and finding this forum helped me to understand them better. At the 11th hour I backed out of the deal incurring some minor legal costs. Every time I see that friend now he congratulates me for saving us both a shed-load of money. Thank you HPC.co.uk