RedBullish

Generally asking prices (bar the odd repo) haven't come down on the Wirral from what they were asking late 2007 and early 2008. Certainly nowhere near the yoy figures banded about for 2008. Same for Chester area.

Just a thought, but I wonder how many of these offers actually end up being passed on?

Its a bung any way you cut, must be fraud and is most certainly morally wrong! When house prices were booming any suggestion of ring fencing by agents would have shouted down in an instant. Its no better to defraud someone on the way down. The markets crap anyway so could you get a fair but decent price and be content with that? Alternatively wait another year and get it cheaper.

Wont persue that matter, more than happy with the rent anyway and going privately with the landlord soon. He is a decent chap and has agreed that some of the windfall he will be getting with the direct rent, will be used for new carpets. Thanks for the advice.

Our rent increased slightly some time ago. After speaking to our Landlord we found that this has not been passed on to him and the agernts have been trousering the difference. Its not a great deal (few hundred pounds over 12 months) but the principal stinks. Does anyone know if we would have recourse to reclaim this overpayment? Our landlord is soon terminating his contract with the agents but we are staying on and paying him direct.

They seem to be 'doing pretty well thank you' off repo's. Hate doing them, especially the family ones, not nice, but thankfully I could count on my fingers the number of repo's I did last year. I'm now running out of digits for the last two weeks alone.

alternatively you could get a job in the private sector where; there are no office assistants (you'll have to do their job), 0% pay rises or a pay cut, no lunch breaks, work well over your contracted hours, crap holidays and sh+te, or no pension. Remember not to begrudge paying exorbitant tax for NuLabour’s public services even though you will spend even more time unpaid, correcting the mistakes those leaving school make as they cant spell or add up.

teenage pregnancy implementation officer anyone? they are looking for 'an experienced and enthusiastic individual with a proven track record of partnership working'

Its a repo and will end up going cheap, always do.

Resistance to increases is lower than falls due to increased LTV's, extending mortgage peiods and like. Fall aren't so easy due to people mentality and the effects of negative equity, most who can, will weather the storm which will restrict supply and acting as some sort of support. Having said that 'real term' falls are easier to envisage and the long term income multiple of 3.5 is like that for a reason. Just remember if a house falls 50% from 200 to 100, it has to go up 100% just to get back where it was!

They make me laugh these surveys how do they measure 0.1 and 0.5% falls? Just had a look at there methodology and based on post survey prices, what for the same house being resold? Most Surveyors would be ignoring price fluctuations of <5% anyway as it’s virtually impossible to value to that level of accuracy, it is an art with some science, not pure science. In the boom years when Nationwide were saying prices were up 10 – 15% a year, of the 1000 or more houses I looked at every year, I could honestly say I didn’t see many that fell into that category. Most in the BTL and speculator areas were going up 50%+ pa and I have seen many that have gone 400%+ in couple of years. If it was widely advertised that some prices were going up 100% pa, I think the public would have quickly realised the sham and withdrew far earlier than now. The market is in a very bad way, IMHO its just matter of time before significant prices falls are seen, which again will be reported as ‘marginal’. First rule of agency and lending ‘never talk down the market’.

Minus 15 to 20% here - private equity and a dying property market

Where is the 6% pa pay rise going to come from? I work in the property sector and have just been through the threat of redundancy and a significant pay cut. Is Labour going to pay the entire bloated public sector 6% pa pay increases for the next five years, to avert a fall in house prices? Look just get it over with, allow a crash and we can move on, admittedly without you being in power which most certainly wont be a bad thing.

I disagree with this report and have personally seen a marked reduction in the number of BTL’s entering the market. The reasons are clear, firstly the massive gains being made over night have evaporated and secondly, the figures just don’t add up. Why risk a 5 to 7 % return on an investment which when outgoings are taken out may actually turn into a loss?. I just dotn understand the mentality of someone who thinks a 5% return on a buy to let residential investment is a good deal. At 5% you would expect a full repairing and insuring lease of 12 years plus of a commercial property to a blue chip chain with an upward only rent review, not a DSS tenant in some scummy provincial northern town. The BTL’s who have bought recently are struggling and remortaging constantly just I suspect to keep their head above water, while the smart money moves out. Those who say they are in for the long haul are just using it as an excuse to not look two to three years too late to join the party.

No real benefit? how many days holiday do you get? dont get overtime, flexi tho I bet? they were the sweetners for your 'low pay' in the past, yet private sector wages have fallen behind due to inflation busting increases in the simple service. That is why the priavte sector are starting to sit up and take notice. I get less than 25days holidays a year and work some weeks, 55 hrs without a lunch break, what hours do you work?. I deserve higher pay than you, a lot higher. I bet I work almost two of your weeks to every one of mine. You should be on half what I am and I get 40,000 a year and a car, I went to a good uni for 3 years and trained for another 2 after that. So what do you get paid? what training have you done? aside from anything with 'managing, strategic or equitable in the title given by other over paid public sector do gooders?.