lulu

ffs! and what where they saying when prices were rising 'x'% per second? We are at a period with historically low IR's anyway. Those with any sense should have worked that out and the lenders should have shown some caution before telling people they could 'afford' to borrow so much money. What was it Mr Brown said? "no more boom and bust" ? and the fools believed him.......

Well bully for him, Where I live moving further out either lands you in the drug infested slums (sorry, call be a snob if you want but I value my personal security so will not live there) or to the suburbs with houses in them (there is only one of me so I have no use for a house - and couldnt afford one anyway) or into the highly desirable rural (yet commutable) locations. Anything half decent and at the cheaper end is bought by BTL as shown by the forests of "To Let" signs envoloping the city - I don't have a chance competing with those who have decent deposits. I would love to see the face of the mortgage advisor if I went in and asked for a £185 000 mortgage btw....

Yes certainly a good sentiment - only for those of us with no equity or rich parents to MEW for our deposits - it becomes hard to simply "forget the price"! If I had been born just 3/4 years earlier, given my current salary and deposit I would have been able to do just that, the one bedroom flat in a reasonable part of town I aspire to would have been well within my grasp. I have committed the crime of being just a few years too young and not having rich parents - so obviosuly I deserve everything I get (or don't get) I must be a fool for not buying when prices were at a trough! (oh sorry I was still at school) :angry:

But why should they? It is the Government who is the biggest culprit here for their inaction on many issues, from not regulating lending strongly enough, allowing many immigrants in who are fueling demand. The government could very easily tax the sh*t out of BTL - I am sure Gordon has it in his plans now, but he could have done it years ago and it would have helped.

More importantly, in how many of the major cities and towns in the UK could someone on a relativly average salary afford a basic starter home?

I hope not, I want them to be mired in their own s*it, not blaming those who may be coming next. The s*it is going to hit the fan at some point whoever is in power I personally would prefer the muppets who helped get us so far into it to be left looking fools.

They are advertising their "sale" on the TV too - I want to know what they are going to sell me? Very confused.

Well it is good to see "Tarty Knickers" has been signing this - not open to abuse at all is it?!

I would also question exactly how much people think they pay for their food anyway. I have University educated friends who had no idea how much a pint of milk cost - one even thought that full fat milk was 50% fat (it is not, it is "techinically" speaking a low fat food - coming in at around 5% fat). It is perfectly possible to eat fruit and veg and live off a few quid a week - most people in Britain today seem to think that food must be put in the microwave in a plastic case - they would all save a tonne of money if they ate a bit better.

Well HSBC are advertising one - something about green products but I was confused by it

So being sociable is bad thing? and trying on clothes to check that they fit is also bad is it? (rather than just wear any old stuff that arrived through mail order - I had a male friend who does this and nothing he wears actually fits him very well as he cannot be bothered to return things). Social interaction can actually be a good thing you know. I much prefer shopping in a real shop for things - you get them straightaway for a start, no sitting in waiting for deliveries that may or may not turn up, you also get what you want rather than some random guff - as happened with some DVD's I ordered once. I think people get a bit carried away with the benefits of saving a few quid here and there. Also if/when they go wrong or there is a fault with them it is alot easier to walk into the store you got it from and speak to somone (no matter how much of a numpty they are) than to try to talk to someone over the phone to explain. My friend works in a camera shop and they get alot of people coming in with faults and to get repairs to cameras that are bought on the internet but have no after sales support. I think we need a balance of the two, I use the internet to check out any major purchases before I buy them (generally sales assistants now are all clueless muppets - its not their fault stores cant afford to train them any more) but will tend to buy in a high street shop. Just about the only thing I get on line are hard to find DVD's that I sometimes need to get hold of.

But these are just the honest ones..... How many people are renting places out on which they just have standard mortages?

It is very sad if you consider that Carlisle (and Cumbria in general - other than the few nice lakeside houses that are about) is as about as vunerable as it can get to prices dropping. Just a few years ago an army salary would have bought a very nice semi in an ok area, dont know what the f' has been going on prices are now silly. There is not a hugh amount of decent employment there, and prices for even the crappiest estates there are now as stupid as the rest of the country. The entire County is screwed if they ever shut Sellafield too (many Cumbrians support it continuing and more development there as it is just about the only decent employer around).

Yes, of course not, things are different this time. Prices can only ever go up!

What a pile of ar*e that place is. Such a waste of space, they could have done a nice one-bedroom flat (and probably still get the same price) If my living room was so small I would waste all that space on such a big TV. And the second bedroom?!!>!>

It could be true - remember that the average age of a FTB now is thirty something? (35?) I cant wait until I am 35 and I can finally afford that one bedroom flat I am after

Well I was in a major out of town shopping centre on the outskirts of Edinburgh last night at 6.00. The place was empty, no queues for much (apart from in the Supermarket that is there) and huge discounts in the major chains. I got most of my Christmas pressies and wrapping paper etc for £40, much of this was half price or less.

So when/if IR's go up a bit again - they are going to get screwed then? assuming they have predominatly IO mortages. if they have saturated the rental market then they wont be able to raise the rents either!? Ar8eholes the pair of them, I hope they rot.

But why would you want to be in power when the sh*t hits the fan. I can see Labour throwing a snap election but throwing it so the Tories get in (and hence the blame) but I dont see an advantage to them still being in charge when it kicks off.

Yes you are right not fair at all - a forced sale would be better

Yes well I pride myself on being a tight git. my computer still runs win 98 its so old and does the job, my tv is a portable one my granny stopped needing about 10 years ago. and I would never waste my cash on gym membership (I have some very functionable trainers) I also live mostly on reduced stuff and special offers in the supermarkets. - and my bus pass went up by more than 2.7% recently as will the cost of ticket home on the train to visit my parents I object being lied to by my government, they keep telling me that inflation is under control and is ~2/2.5%. Everything (apart from the imported sh*t) has gone up way more than that.

Well that is alright then, I regularly buy plasma TV's computers and go shopping for new clothes every week :angry: Who needs food/heating/travel?

Show what does it actually tell us? naff all? I had to point out to a friend last night -who was telling me how inflation was low - that it was all b*ll*cks, when I asked him how much is gas/council tax etc had gone up in the past year he realised I had a point....

But as we all know prices cannot fall - they can stagnate but as "it is different this time" we need not worry - quick everyone buy now in case you miss the boat! etc. etc.

Yes what kind of fool would do that?! - what a ridiculous suggestion that the price of something could be linked to the amount people earn. They will be suggesting next that people earning average or even above average salaries should expect to be able to afford to buy somewhere to live, how foolish that would be - we all know now that the only people who should buy houses are those who are in it to make some money - stuff the rest of the plebs who should stick to renting