sophiecardiff

Isn't a flat precisely that - a flat. If I wanted stairs I would probably buy a house. In a flat the stairs could be seen as “wasted space” in a house the stairs offer the potential of increased square footage inside the house build on a restricted sized parcel of land. I think lateral living is actually quite good for increasing the feeling of space in a building. The place seems bigger if you can, for example, look from one room and see the end of the next room quite a long way away.

I've been reading the site for a while. Houseprices - everyone's favourite topic! May seem daft but it is a really important topic as we all need to live somewhere. Why are they sooooooooo.......... expensive. Getting even more interested now as I really want to get on with my life and settle down somewhere but I really don't think there is such a thing as settling down in the current economic climate.

Wish I could gaze into a crystal ball. I don't want to make a fortune on some investment I just want somewhere nice and stable to live. A generation ago I could have done that quite easily. It just doen't seem fair really. I am really worried about the job cuts that are looming. I think I could just about afford to buy somewhere at the moment but am a bit scared about what might happen to the economy. I think that double dip could well be on the horizon. I'm not so worried about losing money on the flat I buy - if I need to move to a bigger property in say 5 years and prices have gone down then I'm quids in as my new house will be even cheaper. But what if prices go down and suddenly the bank decides my equity in the property is not high enough and starts hiking up my repayments. Cardiff prices could well fall significanlty over the next few years. I have seen many properties on the market at very little below the peak price. Some even seem to be selling - if just doesn't make sense.

£500 per week thats about the equivalent of a gross salary of £36,000 per year. Sounds like quite a lot to me. I guess the cost of living in the UK has become rediculous with housing costs being a significant factor.

They never give you back the deposit! Buy now you just have to factor it in to the price of the tenancy. Gets a bit pricey if you keep moving

I am thinking of waiting a little longer. I'm looking for a new flat to rent right now but I'm not having much success. I think the flat prices have fallen so much already for all the reasons you outlined in your reply. I will need a hefty deposit if I do go for a modern apartment but thats what I want to live in as I've lived in far too many damp and dark terrace houses as a student. Maybe I'll keep up the flat rental hunt for a while and may get lucky. May have to see if "bank of mum and dad" will help with the deposit.

I have found letting agents can be an absolute nightmare. How do they jusify charging huge agency fees for tenants? Why do I have to pay just to renew my tenancy at the end of six months. I'm sure the landlord would be more than happy to keep me on for free! They add massivley to the cost of renting and seem to creat more problems for me than they solve. I think I would probably be better of just dealing with the landlord directly. How do I find a private landlord?

I have been following apartment prices in Cardiff for a while now and I am almost tempted to buy. You can get one of the modern city centre apartments pretty cheap now. I have seen some 2 bed flats which according to land registry figures sold at over £200k a few years ago and are now on the market for about £120k. I want to live in the centre of Cardiff but rents seem to be increasing. I can't get a decent 2 bed for less than £700 a month (plus agency fees etc). If I can get together a deposit it would be MUCH cheaper for me to buy and then I don't have to deal with rouge landlords and the letting agents. I could rent out the other room to a mate if I needed any help covering the morgage. I know prices could fall further but how much further. I'm not sure I want to put off buying forever. What do you think?