rjw8652

I wish these lenders would just get on with it and start repossessing and give these lunatic credit card chavs the kick up the a*se they need. Maybe it will also get the alarm bells ringing in the disbelieving public. I'm sick of going round a shopping mall in the UK watching these chavs spending money they don't have and then getting earache from the wife because I won't copy them by getting into 30k of credit card debt just to buy the latest mobile phone/fashion/(fill in the rest..............). Seems that to live within your means in the UK these days marks you out as some kind of dinosaur. Bring it on I say! Cheers, John

Ditto everything that the last post says. Building costs have rocketed due to the newly-imposed VAT and good old price gouging for steel and cement supplies. Personally, I would put the timeframe mentioned in the last paragraph at 5-6 years, but that's just my opinion. Honestly - the lack of proper infrastructure such as we are used to in the UK is something you do not think about at first, but when living there it really does affect you. You can't just tell the kids to get a bus to so-and-so's place because there just ain't one! Shops close down for 4 hours in the afternoon and banks close down at 1:30 pm and are not open at weekends. Definitely a siesta culture! The population of the whole island is only 600,000, so this is perhaps why things are so limited. Great for some retirees who prefer simple rustic charm and can tolerate the manana outlook of the locals (except for when they're after your money, of course!) but its not for an expat family with growing kids. Tell him to save his pennies and consider other options. Cheers John

I live in Cyprus. The market topped last year after a lot of hype about the effects of EU membership. For sure, prices there are in a bubble and are only supported by UK buyers (and to a lesser extent Russians). The local economy cannot support a major proprerty boom with average wages being only 500-ish quid a month. We are moving out next year. Therte is very limited infrastructure there. My wife complains often about the lack of shopping and our kids likewise about the few leisure facilities. In my view, it's better to go to somewhere like Florida where there are bags of things to do, the infrastructure is top class and there is no language problem. That's where I will be heading when I retire, anyway. Unless, of course you like a very simple and quiet lifestyle, then forget the above!