Let them eat cake!

I work as a civil servant and like those before me I don't earn megga bucks. I totally agree that there is so much crap in the service it is unreal but if you really wanna make a difference you have to start with the politicians. We can never be as efficient as a normal business. Politics is so short term we just have to do what ever we are asked. You can tell people until your blue in the face but if it doesn't suit what the boss wants it doesn't matter. i personally have been trying to sort out an issue for 9mnths just so we save thousands and its a gift that keeps on saving money but my senior boss is an idiot and doesn't understand so we are told to just send off the info and it doesn't matter what problems it causes for the other guys down the line (vague I know but it is on purpose). That said don't be fooled into thinking that all people in the service don't care.Most do and really want to save as much money as possible but we are often fobbed of with the Human rights act and it isn't policy!!!!

Hi not sure if my area constitutes Ribble valley. I'm in Preston. Prices here are static and in my opinion over priced. One joker bought at 98K in May 07 and has it back up now for £112K. The interest rates are just killing most opportunities to push seller into dropping. Hope this is of some use.

So glad I am not going mad! I have noticed all of the above and wondered if the sneaky EAs would put properties at under offer or put up signs saying sold to may Joe Bloggs think it was back to boom boom boom! I am relatively new to house hunting and have been shocked by the lies the EAs will tell but I do love their faces when you have done the research (property bee and houseprices.com and invaluable) and you just lay out the facts and say it ain't worth it and I'll see you in 6 months to see if sense has prevailed!

Well here goes, my first post. I will admit I don't fully understand the information in the graphs apart from the one about the crash in prices. It left me with a warm glow as it confirms (to a certain extent) that the argument I have had with several estate agents about properties being way over priced is correct. One joker wants £14K more than they paid at the hight of the market. So thanks for reaffirming my conviction and I can continue the good fight and hold out for the chaos to begin when people start losing jobs (never good but an unfortunate consequence of spending cuts...maybe even mine!) and then prices become more realistic. Excellent post which I will be keeping track of...more please.