red

A few more new properties coming on around here (London N2) - interestingly, they're priced lower than the similar places that have been stagnating at silly asking prices for months. When the cheaper ones sell, which they will, I'm hoping the others will cut their asking price accordingly, creating a lovely chain reaction downwards... Too early to say if any will come off the market - I suspect when the slide gathers momentum there'll be a few who withdraw from market until it 'recovers'. Again, it boils down to who really needs to sell.

couldn't agree more...

yup.

Expert: Er, no - it's ludicrously low IRs enabling people to sit tight. Affordability is the key.

bump - starting now! http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/blog/2011/feb/12/live-clinic-first-time-buyers

just bumping this up as it's starting at 12.45 today online: http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/blog/2011/feb/12/live-clinic-first-time-buyers I'm hoping they will at least refer to the overwhelming number of posts that allude to price being the issue...

Thanks - that was my little contribution to the comments page! Yep, I'm with you there. I'm getting it from both parents and my mum-in-law. Interestingly, my dad-in-law is an accountant with considerable financial savvy and is the only one who agrees with me. Also, my wife is growing very impatient and desperately wants to 'settle' - we have a small baby and the nesting instinct is kicking in strongly. Almost as strongly as my desire not to throw away years of building a healthy deposit on a depreciating asset...

Although the Grauniad are not likely to put more than one question to the 'expert panel' regarding prices being too high (i.e. addressing the actual problem rather than blame mortgage availability, etc.) I think it's great that an overwhelming proportion of comments simply point out the bleeding obvious... Hopefully a few more comments along these lines by 12.30 on Tuesday will make sure they at least get the message.

banned?

It starts on Tuesday - but good to get comments in asap. It might make the Guardian think twice before doing something so ludicrous again - a tacit acceptance of the theory that prices will never fall so we might as well figure out the best way of getting hold of loans or signing up for shared-ownership schemes and such like, rather than confront the real issue - high prices.

to be fair, Patrick Collinson has always been a champion of lower house prices. But this little stunt is woefully misguided and yet again proves that they're missing Dumbo in the corner... p.s. some good comments on the board already - get over there, folks.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/blog/2011/feb/12/live-clinic-first-time-buyers#start-of-comments More ignoring the elephant in the room with VI 'experts' an EA and a mortgage broker. Wait until prices fall? Nah, don't be daft. We'll find you a liar loan, instead.

I'm half-joking, of course... But with such derisory returns on cash I have punted a little with my STR fund - around 10% of it (only as much as I dare to 'lose' - but so far, I've 'made' about 120% across these investments in 3 years).

boring. Take it out and put it into junior mining, silver and utility stocks.

I'd rather the vendor show me around and tell me what they've done to the place, etc. than have a clueless EA who doesn't even know which way the garden faces... the vendor always knows the property best. As a buyer, I don't need the EA 'sales speil'. I did it myself when I successfully marketed my own property a few years ago. Got the deal done in 2 weeks. No faffing.

This is the key, really. Why hasn't there been an internet forum/website to seriously challenge the EAs? Several have sprung up over the years but never really taken off. Maybe it needs a Tesco or similar with enough clout to be able to provide sale boards nationally etc. that perhaps the smaller businesses just can't provide. Do people really think that having that 'personal touch' of an EA coming round to value the property and deal with solicitors is really worth 2% of the property sale price? Vendors & buyers would do just fine without the parasites. Back to last night's show - the fact that the EA boss confessed that the EAs have ONE HOUR of 'customer service' training and NO TRAINING WHATSOVEVER for viewings tells you all you need to know about why they are so useless...all the more perplexing when you consider the role they supposedly play in the most expensive financial decision any of us are ever likely to make.

oh, and MArtyn Gerrard is the agent I emailed three days ago to enquire about a property. Never got a reply. Worthless parasites, the lot of them. Why hasn't a property buy/sell website portal taken off all these years?!

gel head w@nker on now - west is the new south

It was shot around my way in N London and features the usual spiv, parasite EAs I have the misfortune to deal with now I am registered with them. I fear I will put my foot through the screen if I watch the whole show, though...

you just read what I posted and copied, didn't you...

Demand means nothing without the ability to pay. I too look on RM every day but there's nothing for sale within my price range (that isn't a cr@p-hole).

You clearly haven't studied the 'pin-point accurate' BoE fan charts, have you?

25 bp is better than nowt. It'll send a message to home 'owners' /vendors as their trackers go up a notch and general sentiment will be just that little more negative. That'll do me for now.

even TALK of IR rises is good - sheeple sentiment is vital.

link, please? thanks!