cheering on the sideline

Thanks for all the comments. IMHO mortgage advisers were not much different to doulble glazing salesmen, and flogged mortgages where they got the biggets commisions. Since October 2004 when the market got regulated by the FSA, advisers had to be more careful, as not acting in the best interest of the customer can mean loosing your licence. There are still some sharks out there advising sub-prime mortages to people who qualify for standard packages. Some estate agents also insist that you speak to their in-house mortagage adviser, and if you don't they may not pass on your offers on properties you are interested in (they don't tell you of course.) As far as advisers and the internet goes, there is enough money in the commision paid by the lenders to mortgage advisers, so it is the greedy ones that charge an arrangement fee. We may well see this fee drastically reduced in the future. I don't agree with the online mortage application cutting the middle man out. If everybody buys everything they need at the cheapest price then in five years time there will only be a Primark, an Asda and a MacDonalds in Oxfordstreet.

I am about to embark on a career as a mortgage adviser. This should be recession proof, even in the worst economic scenario. 20% unemployemt = 80% employment. These people will still buy houses, get married or divorced or split up, and die. There will also be opportunites for remortgaging, and I am thinking of specialising in lifetime mortgages. I might as well help the baby boomers to spend their children's inheritance. To be fair, many baby boomers had no financial leg-up from their parents. A major collapse in the housing market will see lower volumes and values, however many mortage advisers are in the 50+ age group, and I understand that not enough are joining this occupation. Comments please?

Macro economy and global finance is above my level, but logic dictates that where the UK already has a trade deficit and a negative balance of payments, the last thing we need is to buy more services in from other countries. The goverment's model of us Brits providing the intelectual services while the rest of the world manufacture our goods and grow our food is a folly. To me it looks like we are in a downward spiral and picking up speed. The end result is predictable and I think the only point to debate now is whether we are going to end by smashing into a brick wall, or come to a grinding halt against the side barriers.

Good one mate, I couldn't agree with you more. The direction this threat is going proves your point. The forum seems to be dominated by a bunch of agony aunts cluttering every thread if useless drivel. I very seldom read any thread further than the first page.

Jaws, Avalanche, Wyatt's Huricane, Volcano, House Price Crash ..... Same plot, different actors, different scenarios. The basic plot is that an expert identifies a hazard but cannot convince the VI's to act as it would cost them money. The expert's credibility is also questionable as at some point he made a wrong prediction. In the end the disaster strikes with great damage and lost of life and the expert is vindicated. As in the above stories, I do not believe a trigger for HPCis required. The housing market will at some point become so unstable that it will colapse under its own weight. A trigger is just something nice we like to have as reference point where started. My gutfeel is to trust the experts, the others can go in the water or the ski slopes or whatever take their fancy.

I thought it was the 1st of April. It was a radio 4 exclusive. I discussed this possibility with an estate agent today, her reply was not in the area where she opearates (South East)

Brittain was once the biggest empire in the world. Brittain invented rugby, cricket, gholf and football. The jet engine was invented by a Britt. The industrial revolution started in Brittain, labour was cheap, children used as slaves. Now they wear hoods and breed like rabbits while living on benefits. I support the super nova theory.

Why do you have to buy to get closer to work? Surely you can rent closer. What is the difference in cost from buying to renting, if renting is cheaper then keep on saving. How secure is your job? You may find yourself in two years time commuting in another direction. Just a few thoughts.

We are paying twice as much as France into the EEU. Now they want us to pay 8 times more because we are wealthier! This comes from a country with a 35 hour work week, 35 days annual leave, 14 bank holidays, heavily goverment subsidised manufacturing, very low council tax and properties at least double the size as in the UK at half the price. So France here I come let the idiotic Brits work their ar**s off, pay taxes till they bleed while they congratulate themselves on how wealthy they are, I will cross the channel and get a life. Now let me see French course for beginners on e-bay.....

Removal companies should experience a lull in business due to the slow down in the housing market, unless they are extremely busy with STR's playing musical chairs with all the BTL properties. Any comments, observations or stats?

BTL'S provide a necessary service for people who need short term accommodation, or who cannot afford to buy at the moment. The bright ones know how to play the market right and how to make it a profitable business. Where abnormal profits are made market forces will pull in more providers and profit levels will drop back to long term trends. However the market forces only work where there are absolute knowledge about prices by vendors and buyers alike. Currently there is absolute ignorance by both parties, especialy amateur buy to let investors who foolishly got tempted by quick rich stories, or ignorant FTB's who think it is now or never. I cannot see any serious investor even bothering to post on this forum, and common sense dictates that no successful businessman can be classified as bear or bull. They treat a specific commodity as they read the market for it bet bearish or bullish. As for bulls posting on this site - all I can think is that they are ex schoolyard bullies with imaginary portfolios wiling away the time having done their share for the unemployment figures by now being permantly disabled.

We make nothing, export hot air and consume like never before. Trade deficit?, Goverment borrowing? Ignore it, just scaremongering from anti-goverment academics.

You can also fly by putting each foot in a bucket. By pulling on the handles hard enough you will take off like a rocket!!

Businesses can experience losses or bad debts and survive, however they only run out of cash once.

Gazunder him mate, he would have gazumped you on the first opportunity to get a few quid more if the market was going the other way. However, don't bluff, if your lower offer is declined pull out. Ethics whats that? normally advocated by the losing party, the winning party will smugly tell his pals how he fleeced you out of your money.

If I draw out the last £5,000 on my credit card and run leaving my mortgage - where is a goods place to hide? France, Germany, Australia Argentina, South Africa? How long do I have to stay there before all records are cleared 12 Years. I know debt is not a criminal offence, but would this constitute fraud?

GB is like a witchdoctor in darkest Africe - he's performing a raindance and while it's raining he'll take all the credit while banging his drum BOOM BOOM BOOM, skipping the beat on the bust stroke. When the bust happens he will be in the dinner pot, the chief is sharpening his teeth and is just waiting for the first sign of a dought to bust the witcdoctors b***s.

This was discussed on radion 2 today. The majority of buyers were there to snatch up a bargain to flog on e-bay.

Maybe Cherrie could offer to hoover once a week. She is already ripping off the charities to get extra money £100,000 for two weeks holiday down south!