happily renting

Gotta love a renter's market. I pay £725 pcm for a beautiful place which would probably go £300k in the current market. Having only managed a £25 reduction (you won't get it if you don't ask), I'm in awe of these people who offer 60% or whatever.

Type the words 'Rachman wannabe' and voila, six minutes later one appears on the scene. I've always enjoyed Crashed's posts. Keep up the good work, mate. (And get that site up and running.)

The UK? Populated by a bunch of greedy mentally retarded sheep? Surely not. We have met the enemy and he is us. -Pogo

...because sites like this represent the majority view. Bears just OWN the media and have a stranglehold on popular opinion. Right?

I thought it rhymed.

I've been renting for about 20 years now. Previous to that I grew up in rented accomodation. Great family life. Never been chucked out. Have lived in a wide variety of interesting places, saved a ton of money - enough to buy my own house if I so desired (no thanks). Have also never had a problem doing gardening or a spot of DIY. So what if it adds value to someone else's property. The important thing is whether or not it adds value to my life. If you like to own, bully for you. But there's absolutely nothing wrong with renting.

You are an inspiration to me.

BBB - You're putting lots of words into my mouth (eg, I've never mentioned BTL), but we'll let it go. I will say that I'm not after anyone's pity; I'm doing quite well. The fact that I'm also renting is neither here nor there.

Prices are well beyond the limits of almost all FTBs. IMO merely the fact of being a bull these days qualifies one as having a serious lack of empathy (or sympathy). I won't go into your posting history - particularly on the original board, which was positively littered with your inflammatory (or shall we say less than sympathetic) statements about what 'losers', etc., renters are - because you seem to be making an effort now. Recall that my original post had to do with your comment about how you 'just wondered why [bruno] would wish to subject such misery and hardship to so many innocent normal people', as the same POV could be attributed to many bulls. Now that I've addressed your question, perhaps you could address mine.

Note that I didn't say I want a complete meltdown, with all the hardship for everyone that would entail. I was simply pointing out that bulls like BBB should also face up to their own lack of empathy.

Pretty much the same point could be made about bulls who have little regard for the travails of FTBs priced out of the market. (Not me, though, 'cause I'm... happily renting.)

Stuff and nonsense.

Just my humble little anecdote: £750 pcm (with free gardening service thrown in) for a stunning place in the SE which would easily cost more than twice that on a mortgage. Probably closer to thrice, considering what prices are like around here. The fundamental problem I have with bulls is: why? Why would you want house prices to keep galloping along? It's a very large waste of money which could be put to better use doing more productive things, and it hurts current homeowners as surely as it does FTBs. I have a lot of friends who want to sell, need to sell, but are now stuck because the next rung is just too high - and a move to a lateral rung is no longer possible either. If BBB wishes to buy up all the dingy awful houses this country has to offer, more power to him. Come the crash they'll all be under new management anyway.

We can be. Can you be (all evidence to the contrary)?