Pmax2020

clothing is cheaper today than it was 20 years ago. I’m getting better running shoes for day-to-day mileage for £80 compared with £150 twenty years ago. Even flagship running shoes with all the innovation like the Nike vaporflys cost less today. Clothes are cheaper too. Some of the deals on asos and Nike site are insanely cheap.

The English love the Tories though. They’ll be back in power again before we know it.

The Tories are doing gods work for us Scots. Latest independence poll… 54% Yes…

+1 Registers of Scotland sept data has median prices down, mean sold prices down, and sales volume down year on year. Yet reports a +2.5% annual increase. This is clearly not supported by the thousands of properties that are listed cheaper than 2022 that are not selling and have zero chance of doing so. Take Edinburgh’s data, average sold prices were consistently hitting 320-325k a year ago. August/September this year was 310k. Wonder what October will be…

Look at the houses many of our parents have, as well as those of friends and colleagues. Look at their lifestyles and careers. More often than not it’s at odds with the circumstances young people today are in. When a massive 500-600k Victorian dream home invariably appears near me, a friend will confirm “she was a teacher and he was a postman”… Could a 30-something couple comprising of a teacher and postman afford that today? With kids? With career breaks for raising kids? Will todays couple afford all that and then retire in their late 50s?! Er… naw…

Some of the ‘new build’ estates in Perth & Kinross, West Lothian, central belt, Lanarkshire, Borders etc are pretty nice. (Ok that’s most of Scotland). 450-500k for pretty spacious detached houses in small clusters, with big gardens, secluded spots, and mile upon mile of open countryside in all directions. Very tempting for a character property lover like the wife and I. Random example of one… (There are hundreds that aren’t selling right now) https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/139624766 I take it back, found this period house instead… https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/141177176

Never ceases to amaze me the ever-present sense of entitlement seemingly normal couples have when it comes to their perceived right to having a particular house. People akin to the many friends, family and colleagues that we all have. Relatable people, but detestable nonetheless. A freak show of financially illiterate muppets that cry into one another’s shoulders when they walk through the door of a property 15-20 times the national average salary. Phil and Kirsty like proud parents, egging them on to offer even more than the valuation, to secure homes 2-3 times the UK mean sold price. The pageantry of the Scottish episodes being the most unpalatable. We’re a country small enough that anyone could easily review all of the properties within even a large search area in a matter of minutes. Yet these attension seeking plebs desire to showcase their effortlessly huge property budgets on national telly. So many 20-30 something couples with 500k kitties, having never bought before. Literally never met a single person like that in my entire life.

At least the BBC bid for your sports. Us Scot’s haven’t seen a single European or World Cup qualifier on terrestrial TV for 20 years.

The Tories are letting energy prices run wild. They’ll mandate lower standing charges or another energy cap before the next election. They are intentionally running the country into the ground in an effort to either win the election, or leave Labour a bag of sh*t when they get into power.

I’m getting the M Sport eDrive35. That was the more basic model our company had on our the list. The 40 or 50 spec ones look incredible and have far better range. I could’ve made contributions to get one but I wasn’t too fussed.

I’m moving back to all-electric too. Getting a temporary EV imminently until the i4 I ordered is delivered in early spring. Currently my diesel company car costs about £500 a month in BIK and private fuel. The electric will be under £100. No brainer. Even for a clown like me…

And this is why I consistently say house prices are still affordable for 95% of the population. My infamous claim on these boards… …that 95% of people in the UK could afford to buy within a modest 20-30 commute of where they work or would like to spend their time. Take Scotland for example, if you want to work and/or socialise in the likes of Edinburgh, there are plenty of decent places with affordable homes a few train stops outside that city.

You took exception to me saying my wage went from being bang average to fairly decent. Really not much of a flex so stop calling me out on it. I have two young kids and but my wife is now back to working a reasonable amount of hours. Our take-home has went from about £3500 per month in 2020 to £5000 today. You can immediately write off £500 of that in mortgage associated interest, energy and food. We've spent a bit of money on our house, overpaid our mortgage, and had several foreign holidays, but you’d think all of that would’ve come far, far easier given the rise in household income.

I don’t know. As a Scotsman I know how to look after the pennies and yet I’m feeling the pinch. I think a lot of people will continue to struggle next year. Debt will catch up on many people. Maybe sellers with properties already on the market will find themselves in positions whereby they’ll have to drop prices 10-15%. I’ve said it dozens of times, nothing much is selling up here near me. Certainly not for 2021/2022 prices.

A sees decline in the leasing of fancy cars as an alternative to a cheap but reliable used car… However I think we’re actually spoiled by how inexpensive a lot of the TV subscriptions are. I can see them going from strength to strength.

Of course you did pal.

5 year fixes falling from 4.5% to 4% isn’t going to result in house prices rising 1%, let alone 10-20%…

While I think rates will be cut next year, I think people are fundamentally poorer so I can only see price’s continuing to fall.

The crazy thing is seeing the odd house still go under offer at a crazy price. I guess some people haven’t got the memo.

Undeservingly filthy rich pensioners are propping the economy up. You know the ones, bought houses for 23k then downsized and cashed out 200-300k. Retired in their 50s or early 60s with pensions from a golden era. Pensions we’re all paying for. You know the insufferable pr*cks I’m talking about. They phone into LBC to tell young people they ought to stop buying £3 coffees in order to buy a home. I love my parents but they are delusional about how difficult it is nowadays. They don’t realise a mobile phone, Netflix and coffee are barely 1% of folks house hold incomes. Fast forward 30 years and both parents are having to work full time just to pay the bills….

If you were renting in an area like I describe, would you dump your rubbish in your garden? Would you toss your old furniture out onto the public pavement? Would you dry laundry by hanging it out your windows instead of on the washing line? Would you just let the grass grow 2 feet long?!

All of the above is utter bullocks. You’re condoning lazy, ignorant behaviour that sets a bad example to the young people in those neighbourhoods. The majority of people have cars or have friends / relatives that do. Yes it’s nuisance to take rubbish, particularly bulky items to a council tip, but what’s the alternative? Dump it in your front gardens or on the pavement?! Equally you can buy hedge cutters or a lawnmower for less than the cost of a night out. Is it too much to ask that you spend 30 minutes once every couple of months tidying your property up to help set a standard and teach your kids about responsibility and self-respect?! You’re comparing these areas to the super rich. That’s completely pointless. I’m comparing them to your average street or housing estate up and down the UK where people recognise that whether they own or rent, thru have a duty to maintain the community they live and work in. The horrible areas we all know of - it’s largely self-inflicted laziness, ignorance, and a failure to take responsibility and set a good standard for the kids in those communities. Trying to argue otherwise is to condemn these people to be stuck in these unpleasant areas forever more.

I respectfully disagree. Right now there are hundreds of couches and mattresses in the gardens of houses in my town. Almost all in the less desirable areas. Gardens a complete mess, bins overflowing, toys lying out in the street obstructing pavements. All skewing grossly toward the ‘poorer’ areas. Thats not because everyone else has maids and butlers…. It’s because these people generally have terrible attitudes towards their responsibility to keen their properties and neighbourhoods in good order. How long does it take to cut a hedge? Or drive your excess rubbish to the council tip? Nothing to do with wealth. It’s about self-respect and taking responsibility for the area you live in.

I’ll probably get to 1900 this year though admittedly that’s about 10-15% more than a typical year for me. 1000-1500 miles per annum however is pretty standard for most avid runners. 25-35 miles per week comprising of a longish 10-12 mile run at the weekends, after 4 or 5 small to medium sized runs mid week 🤷‍♂️ I’ve had a handful of weeks this year where I’ve ran 8 or 9 miles every lunch time while WFH 😉

The people living in the shitholes are the ones to blame where I live, and it’s probably true of most dumps in the UK. It’s self inflicted. Im out running about 2000 miles a year and I see it all. How come people living in the ‘poorer’, more socially deprived areas can’t be arsed cutting their grass or hedges? How come they just let their kids leave their bikes and scooters out on the streets? Places full of litter and dumped couches and mattresses?! I used to think it was about a lack of education or opportunity… but it’s ignorance and laziness. I really see no excuses for it. The majority of these people are able-bodied and have wages coming in. Contrast it to nicer areas where residents aren’t just inclined to pick up a piece of litter, they actively go out and litter pick because the council don’t bother anymore. People look after their homes. It doesn’t cost much to cut a hedge or take rubbish to the top rather than discard it in your front garden. It’s self inflicted. These rough areas could double the value of their homes if they just spent a weekend catching up on the chores everyone else takes responsibility for.