Brighton Area

[Starla]

Very interesting BBQ / House warming on Saturday.

An old University friend of ours sold his 1 bed flat in New Cross for £250k and proudly announced that he had just bought a 3 bed terrace house in (London Road area) for £290k. He was over the moon, he now had a proper house with a garden etc and he has done the full Beaney makeover.

We arrived and had the tour and my god even though it looked like a dump outside he has turned the interior into an expensive london penthouse. £7k on authentic radiatiors, £10k on the bathroom, £18k on the kitchen, real oak floors, doors throughout etc. Outside in his garden he had even had a landcsape gardener come out and create a terracing effect (even though garden is only about 20 foot x 10 foot).

Anyway we started the BBQ when all of a sudden there is crash against his fence and one of the panels crack. There was some sort of row going on the other side and when I stepped up on to the wall to look over I could see it was some kind of alleyway running along the back of the next roads houses. 3 drinkers were having a little bust up but my friend just shrugged and turned the music up.....that was until one of the p*ssheads kicked a hole in the next panel along. My G/F went to call the police and myself and 2 other guys at the BBQ went out the house to confront the fellas, try and stop them doing any more damage at least. When we got around there the 3 guys had gone but we must have only been 20 seconds so they obviously lived in one of the houses at the back. My mate was playing it all down and saying that it wasnt worth it and that he would just get it fixed, cheap fence anyway etc.

To be fair to the police they arrived pretty much within a few minutes and took a look at the fence and then more or less told us to keep an eye out and call them if the guys returned. I can understand that there is little they can do and probably not worth the paperwork.

We all refused to let it dampen our spirits though and continued partying. At about 8pm the garden about 4 doors down and back a row suddenly erupted into banging techno. My friend knew about these guys because it was a house that the neighbours were getting together about, a student house with a wanabee DJ and his decks + Sound System. In the comfort of the lounge after a vodka or two he started telling us about the student house opposite and the 4am collection of people outside it smoking dope after throwing out time every night. He told us about the guy collpased in his skip, the wife beater next door who gets up at 6am and puts BBC Breakfast on full blast (he assured us his new soundproofing he was having fitted would dull out a lot of the noise). More interestingly he told us about his A&L £35k loan he needed to do the restoration job and the massive £1,130 per month repayments over 5 years.

As the night drew to a close he started having a row with his girlfriend who let slip things such as "I didn't make you move here" and "you f**ked up not me". Seems the Brighton dream had hit some kind of reality buffer. To make matters worse the house opposite had just been sold to some BTL company who rented to students so the nice family who lived there were ditching him because the area had become too "studenty". The work colleagues who all lived up in Surrey & London started mentioning how dirty the streets were in Brighton and how the 90 minute commute wouldnt be for them etc. I could see by the end of the night he looked like he wanted to just return to his New Cross 2 bedder. In the end people were saying things like "Its only whilst the weathers nice, when it gets to Winter they wont be hanging around as much".

Seems to me that there is this massive clash between Londoners wanting to push Brighton upmarket and Students wanting to party and areas where poverty is just too deeply embedded. Chatting to one of the guys afterwards we concluded that there were houses on that road that were selling for £40k ten years ago and if our mate was to put his house up for sale he would now be looking for £350k to claw back what he has spent. That is the massive divide between old Brighton and new Brighton.

I know what you are all saying about it looking like it will never end but for me I think we are on the cusp. I got off the train and walked past those City Height flats, they were built about 5 years ago to great fanfare with the new Sainsburys, behind Brighton Station. Anyway the one thing that immediately stood out for me was how many had blankets and dirty washing etc up against the windows or on the balconies, it looked like an 80's council block, the place was littered and deserted, all looked like a dream that had turned into s**t which I think will come to symbolise a lot of Brighton in 5 years time. London money washed in like a wave and will now retreat back leaving a bleak ruin of seaside grandeur like Margate, Hastings or Eastbourne.

Great read and reminds me of a visit to Brighton to see friends a few weeks ago. Not that they had those problems (million quid place *well that's what they paid anyway* so less exposure to chavs). I rent in London and am priced out of the buying market and have no interest in a living in a £180k studio box round here anyway. Brighton to me seems the obvious buying choice. Saying that, I want a 2 bed*decent* flat and I'm simply not paying more than £140k for one. Currently the sort of place I's like is around £180k-£190k. I'm just going to wait for lower prices or not bother buying in Brighton at all.

[i wanna house]

and now we have a green council.......

god help us

[christhpc]

and now we have a green council.......

god help us

Still NOC fortunately.

[shell]

. . . or not bother buying in Brighton at all.

Brighton's facilities are oversubscribed and it's getting worse each year. People who buy in the million pound area may find they cannot get a GP, a school place, or even a parking space. Flats for 10 families are being built on plots meant for one family home.

[i wanna house]

Still NOC fortunately.

NOC ?

[lorna1999]

NOC ?

No Overall Control.

[Starla]

Brighton's facilities are oversubscribed and it's getting worse each year. People who buy in the million pound area may find they cannot get a GP, a school place, or even a parking space. Flats for 10 families are being built on plots meant for one family home.

Thanks Shell. The more I read experiences and comments on this forum, the more inclined I am to avoid Brighton altogether. I think it would take a serious price reduction in (I'm in the 2 bed flat bracket) to make it worth the commute to Londonfor work , the lack of services, no parking, student agro and of course the UK biggest herion problem. It looks nice when I vist in the Summer with my rose tinted shades on though.

[shell]

I think it would take a serious price reduction in (I'm in the 2 bed flat bracket) to make it worth the commute to Londonfor work

Too right. And the commute turns them all fat and grey in no time.

[castrogtx]

Definite change in sentiment in these parts.

I've just had an offer accepted on a house in Brighton. We had viewed a number of properties over the last two months and in early April we put in offers on two houses at around 10% under without too much interest shown by the vendors. We continued this strategy despite finding the perfect house for my very young family. Our 10% was turned down but we still secured 7% off when our second offer was accepted. The house had only been available to view for 4 days. Certainly the back drop of Land reg/halifax figures helped along with the urgency we begun to feel from EA's.

Two of the last estate agents we spoke to admitted that things were slow and in the last few weeks low offers were eagerly encouraged.

I will expect to see the value of the house fall nominally by about 10% and to see another 10% come off in real terms over the next 2-3 years. Maybe more, maybe less.

But I do not expect to really loose a great deal as I stop paying rent and my 6 figure deposit stops being eroded by inflation.

The game is not up, but it is for me.

I'm still sickened by Govt and BOE policy that changed the rules - QE and IR's etc.

I still hope to see house prices fall so that the young (my kids included) can afford to live and to own their own houses.

Edited May 10, 2011 by castrogtx

[tigsrenting]

Definite change in sentiment in these parts.

I've just had an offer accepted on a house in Brighton. We had viewed a number of properties over the last two months and in early April we put in offers on two houses at around 10% under without too much interest shown by the vendors. We continued this strategy despite finding the perfect house for my very young family. Our 10% was turned down but we still secured 7% off when our second offer was accepted. The house had only been available to view for 4 days. Certainly the back drop of Land reg/halifax figures helped along with the urgency we begun to feel from EA's.

Two of the last estate agents we spoke to admitted that things were slow and in the last few weeks low offers were eagerly encouraged.

I will expect to see the value of the house fall nominally by about 10% and to see another 10% come off in real terms over the next 2-3 years. Maybe more, maybe less.

But I do not expect to really loose a great deal as I stop paying rent and my 6 figure deposit stops being eroded by inflation.

The game is not up, but it is for me.

I'm still sickened by Govt and BOE policy that changed the rules - QE and IR's etc.

I still hope to see house prices fall so that the young (my kids included) can afford to live and to own their own houses.

Good luck Casrtogtx hope it all goes well.

I echo your sentiments but do wonder whether any young Brightonian will ever be able to afford to buy here anymore (those without bank of mum and dad).

I will probably buy in the next few months but not here.

[LiveAndLetBuy]

Definite change in sentiment in these parts.

I've just had an offer accepted on a house in Brighton. We had viewed a number of properties over the last two months and in early April we put in offers on two houses at around 10% under without too much interest shown by the vendors. We continued this strategy despite finding the perfect house for my very young family. Our 10% was turned down but we still secured 7% off when our second offer was accepted. The house had only been available to view for 4 days. Certainly the back drop of Land reg/halifax figures helped along with the urgency we begun to feel from EA's.

Two of the last estate agents we spoke to admitted that things were slow and in the last few weeks low offers were eagerly encouraged.

I will expect to see the value of the house fall nominally by about 10% and to see another 10% come off in real terms over the next 2-3 years. Maybe more, maybe less.

But I do not expect to really loose a great deal as I stop paying rent and my 6 figure deposit stops being eroded by inflation.

The game is not up, but it is for me.

I'm still sickened by Govt and BOE policy that changed the rules - QE and IR's etc.

I still hope to see house prices fall so that the young (my kids included) can afford to live and to own their own houses.

Congratulations. I hope you still pop back now and then on this thread as I think your posts have been most informative and well-reasoned.

[Hmm]

Is this another Hanover house with the 'full Beany makeover'? I'm new to looking at Brighton but - this is very expensive isn't it?! http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-18739242.html

[Capt. Picard]

Is this another Hanover house with the 'full Beany makeover'? I'm new to looking at Brighton but - this is very expensive isn't it?! http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-18739242.html

b****rds!

I'm pretty sure I saw this house last year, they did an open day thing, it needed quite a lot of work done to it and asking price was around 270k. We thought about putting in a cheeky offer on the silly asking price but didn't go ahead as agent told us that there were going to be sealed bids to be put in by a certain deadline.

I remember a few viewers taking notes on a pad (those who bought must have been among these) at the time.

It sold for (as per mouseprice) 275k.... and now they want 450K!!!

HIGHEST price ever achieved on that road is 367.5k in 2008 - i.e. when prices peaked!

They paid over the asking price for it and probably spent 25k - 50k on it, and if they did the work themselves, as I think, probably less than that, and they now want to make an absolute killing - hoping to make £125k - 150k profit !!!

And all this, wait, wait... in 2011!

Four years after the beginning of the credit crunch... I'm truly speechless...

Obviously news that house prices are on the down haven't reached these w****ers!

I just hope no mug comes along and decides to pay anything remotely close to that ridiculous price!!!

:angry:

Edited May 11, 2011 by Capt. Picard

[shell]

b****rds!

I just hope no mug comes along and decides to pay anything remotely close to that ridiculous price!!!

:angry:

I can just imagine the developers in there beige-ing it up! If London money does go for it, say the inevitable couple in their mid thirties with a new baby, it's a f***er of a commute for the working partner, and the one left holding the baby has little to entertain them. A treacherously steep hill to push the buggy up every day, Hanover hippies, and long, lonely hours while their partner slaves far, far away in London. Anyone who can afford more would go for a better area. I mean half a mil for one of those tiny places - hahaha!

[Hmm]

I can just imagine the developers in there beige-ing it up! If London money does go for it, say the inevitable couple in their mid thirties with a new baby, it's a f***er of a commute for the working partner, and the one left holding the baby has little to entertain them. A treacherously steep hill to push the buggy up every day, Hanover hippies, and long, lonely hours while their partner slaves far, far away in London. Anyone who can afford more would go for a better area. I mean half a mil for one of those tiny places - hahaha!

I'm new to looking at Brighton, and that house stuck out like a sore thumb to me. I can't imagine anyone buying it unless they can somehow avoid seeing any other houses on the whole of the Brighton and Hove market. You can get a bow-fronted number in Clifton for less than that! They've got no chance.

And you're right about the climb - I had a walk round Hanover the other week and it's bloody steep.

[christhpc]

Is this another Hanover house with the 'full Beany makeover'? I'm new to looking at Brighton but - this is very expensive isn't it?! http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-18739242.html

*gasp*

Hahahahahahaha!! Ah, that's tickled me. Nice find.

[The Floating World]

For the price I was expecting they'd gone crazy with the spec - but it's just a standard magnolia blandfest with midrange fixtures and fittings from Wickes. If someone buys this for anything over £400,000 they need sectioning.

You can get a four bed semi in Hove near the seafront, level ground and close to Portslade station for less. Of course it's not central Brighton but it's only two miles down the road, takes nine minutes on the train, five minutes in the car.

If you were willing to venture into Portslade you would actually be able to get a detached house for that kind of moolah.

[Einstein71]

People will always play the game and especially in Brighton because there are so many Londoners coming down with big ideas and small brains.

Across the road from me the house was put up on the market for £470k. Nothing in the road had sold previously for more than £300k and that was in 2007 at peak. The house was up on the market for 6 months and hardly a sniff and then all of a sudden it was sold for asking price. A young couple probably about early 30's had bought it. I went across and introduced myself, seemed like a decent couple but it soon transpired that the purchase had been encouraged by her Mother who lives around the corner. It appeared she was local and her mother and her mother before her had lived in this Small SussexTown. Granny had just died and left a huge wedge of which mother kindly took care of and felt Granny would have wanted her grandaughter to have a new house in this nice part of town. Not really taking much notice of a stupid thing like "value for money" the mother had just used £400k to plonk down as a wedding present on this house and they now had a £70k mortgage. The guy was actually a little embarrassed and seemed to have his head screwed on because he admitted that he felt they had paid "Top Whack" but his mother in law had done all of the running so he just happily went along with it.

Anyway within a few weeks 4 houses went up for sale on our very small cul de sac (prob about 16 houses in total on the close), all of them for £450k - £500k. Our letting agent was also the sales agent for one of these and when he came around to do his inspection I collared him on whether he felt £450k was right for a small 3 bed semi. His reply said it all

"It doesn't really matter what I think, the facts are that the one across the road sold for £470k so that is what they are now worth. Personally I didn't think these houses would ever pass £300k but obviously people want to move to this area and if people are willing to pay it......".

So by one stupid woman getting her hands on some easy cash and just paying £470k (an amount even the sellers admitted was a punt) all of a sudden the houses in this area have gone up by 40%. Nobody owning a house on this close would even dream of accepting £300k now for one of these houses and because there are no "forced sellers" nobody has to drop their price or are willing to take offers. The precedent of just waiting it out and a fool will come and pay up has been set.

My feeling is that Brighton is very much like this. It is almost like one fool is setting the price for all of the other fools and because something went for X it is now worth X+10 to the next buyer. As a result things start to get a bit Skwiffed and you end up paying the same price for a terrace 2 up 2 down in Hannover as you would in London. You must take a step back and see what they were selling for in 2001 and add 20% and this is what they will be worth in 2015.

Brighton is a fun place to live but it isn't London. It has very little employment opportunities and those it does have are low paid (Social Care, Hospitality). It's structure is made up mainly of Students and Chavs. It claims to be liberal yet doesn't welcome ethnic minorities (main populace made up of white middle class students), it is a Hippy Playpark interspersed with overpriced "trendy" spas. hairdressers, boutiques for all of the people who believe they have wealth but actually are in debt up to their eyeballs.

A great example of Brighton is down the Marina. I went down there the other day. Full of girls with huge sunglasses sipping cheap wine outside of Cafe Rouge like they were Paris Hilton in St Tropez. Brightonians sometimes compare their City to Barcelona or believe it to be this thing that it obviously isn't. Its appeal was always the raw edge, teh regency nostalgia, teh colourful people but it was never the fact that it was classy !! These people paying £450k for a house in Hannover are falling for Marketing blurb that makes them believe they are buying into a Cosmopolitan Coastal City with easy links to London and Waitrose on tap. Plonk them in front of KFC on London Road for 20 minutes on any given weekday and see what they think then....or why not take a stroll around the marina branch of Asda

My advice is don't play the game. Brighton was dessimated in the early 90's, so much blood on the streets, so many dreams shattered and young lives ruined. So many people in Brighton now that are so far in debt that one increase in interest rates could destroy them.

Just as an aside a lot of my friends worked at the Disney Black Rock Games Studio on West Street. It has always been around, previously it was Climax Racing and was down on Western Road in Hove, 3 doors down from Barneys. It employs 140 people but has just announced 100 redundancies !!! This is a studio that had been in Brighton since 1999. Sad times but just the first of many. These are young people, mainly with houses and flats bought with huge mortagages in Brighton and with skills that mean they will have to move out of Brighton to carry on employment. If 30% decide to set up on their own or were renting that means at least 70 houses/flats coming on to the market very soon !!!

[Capt. Picard]

People will always play the game and especially in Brighton because there are so many Londoners coming down with big ideas and small brains.

Across the road from me the house was put up on the market for £470k. Nothing in the road had sold previously for more than £300k and that was in 2007 at peak. The house was up on the market for 6 months and hardly a sniff and then all of a sudden it was sold for asking price. A young couple probably about early 30's had bought it. I went across and introduced myself, seemed like a decent couple but it soon transpired that the purchase had been encouraged by her Mother who lives around the corner. It appeared she was local and her mother and her mother before her had lived in this Small SussexTown. Granny had just died and left a huge wedge of which mother kindly took care of and felt Granny would have wanted her grandaughter to have a new house in this nice part of town. Not really taking much notice of a stupid thing like "value for money" the mother had just used £400k to plonk down as a wedding present on this house and they now had a £70k mortgage. The guy was actually a little embarrassed and seemed to have his head screwed on because he admitted that he felt they had paid "Top Whack" but his mother in law had done all of the running so he just happily went along with it.

Anyway within a few weeks 4 houses went up for sale on our very small cul de sac (prob about 16 houses in total on the close), all of them for £450k - £500k. Our letting agent was also the sales agent for one of these and when he came around to do his inspection I collared him on whether he felt £450k was right for a small 3 bed semi. His reply said it all

"It doesn't really matter what I think, the facts are that the one across the road sold for £470k so that is what they are now worth. Personally I didn't think these houses would ever pass £300k but obviously people want to move to this area and if people are willing to pay it......".

So by one stupid woman getting her hands on some easy cash and just paying £470k (an amount even the sellers admitted was a punt) all of a sudden the houses in this area have gone up by 40%. Nobody owning a house on this close would even dream of accepting £300k now for one of these houses and because there are no "forced sellers" nobody has to drop their price or are willing to take offers. The precedent of just waiting it out and a fool will come and pay up has been set.

My feeling is that Brighton is very much like this. It is almost like one fool is setting the price for all of the other fools and because something went for X it is now worth X+10 to the next buyer. As a result things start to get a bit Skwiffed and you end up paying the same price for a terrace 2 up 2 down in Hannover as you would in London. You must take a step back and see what they were selling for in 2001 and add 20% and this is what they will be worth in 2015.

Brighton is a fun place to live but it isn't London. It has very little employment opportunities and those it does have are low paid ....

Exactly, you nailed it.

I don't think they'll sell for the AP, but I don't expect them to drop their price to below £400k either, which means that, whatever the actual selling price when sold, any other (deluded) future seller on that road will have that figure in mind (the final AP).

Sad times to live in.

Edited May 12, 2011 by Capt. Picard

[shell]

People will always play the game and especially in Brighton because there are so many Londoners coming down with big ideas and small brains.

Across the road from me the house was put up on the market for £470k. Nothing in the road had sold previously for more than £300k and that was in 2007 at peak. The house was up on the market for 6 months and hardly a sniff and then all of a sudden it was sold for asking price. A young couple probably about early 30's had bought it. I went across and introduced myself, seemed like a decent couple but it soon transpired that the purchase had been encouraged by her Mother who lives around the corner. It appeared she was local and her mother and her mother before her had lived in this Small SussexTown. Granny had just died and left a huge wedge of which mother kindly took care of and felt Granny would have wanted her grandaughter to have a new house in this nice part of town. Not really taking much notice of a stupid thing like "value for money" the mother had just used £400k to plonk down as a wedding present on this house and they now had a £70k mortgage. The guy was actually a little embarrassed and seemed to have his head screwed on because he admitted that he felt they had paid "Top Whack" but his mother in law had done all of the running so he just happily went along with it.

Anyway within a few weeks 4 houses went up for sale on our very small cul de sac (prob about 16 houses in total on the close), all of them for £450k - £500k. Our letting agent was also the sales agent for one of these and when he came around to do his inspection I collared him on whether he felt £450k was right for a small 3 bed semi. His reply said it all

"It doesn't really matter what I think, the facts are that the one across the road sold for £470k so that is what they are now worth. Personally I didn't think these houses would ever pass £300k but obviously people want to move to this area and if people are willing to pay it......".

So by one stupid woman getting her hands on some easy cash and just paying £470k (an amount even the sellers admitted was a punt) all of a sudden the houses in this area have gone up by 40%. Nobody owning a house on this close would even dream of accepting £300k now for one of these houses and because there are no "forced sellers" nobody has to drop their price or are willing to take offers. The precedent of just waiting it out and a fool will come and pay up has been set.

My feeling is that Brighton is very much like this. It is almost like one fool is setting the price for all of the other fools and because something went for X it is now worth X+10 to the next buyer. As a result things start to get a bit Skwiffed and you end up paying the same price for a terrace 2 up 2 down in Hannover as you would in London. You must take a step back and see what they were selling for in 2001 and add 20% and this is what they will be worth in 2015.

Brighton is a fun place to live but it isn't London. It has very little employment opportunities and those it does have are low paid (Social Care, Hospitality). It's structure is made up mainly of Students and Chavs. It claims to be liberal yet doesn't welcome ethnic minorities (main populace made up of white middle class students), it is a Hippy Playpark interspersed with overpriced "trendy" spas. hairdressers, boutiques for all of the people who believe they have wealth but actually are in debt up to their eyeballs.

A great example of Brighton is down the Marina. I went down there the other day. Full of girls with huge sunglasses sipping cheap wine outside of Cafe Rouge like they were Paris Hilton in St Tropez. Brightonians sometimes compare their City to Barcelona or believe it to be this thing that it obviously isn't. Its appeal was always the raw edge, teh regency nostalgia, teh colourful people but it was never the fact that it was classy !! These people paying £450k for a house in Hannover are falling for Marketing blurb that makes them believe they are buying into a Cosmopolitan Coastal City with easy links to London and Waitrose on tap. Plonk them in front of KFC on London Road for 20 minutes on any given weekday and see what they think then....or why not take a stroll around the marina branch of Asda

My advice is don't play the game. Brighton was dessimated in the early 90's, so much blood on the streets, so many dreams shattered and young lives ruined. So many people in Brighton now that are so far in debt that one increase in interest rates could destroy them.

Just as an aside a lot of my friends worked at the Disney Black Rock Games Studio on West Street. It has always been around, previously it was Climax Racing and was down on Western Road in Hove, 3 doors down from Barneys. It employs 140 people but has just announced 100 redundancies !!! This is a studio that had been in Brighton since 1999. Sad times but just the first of many. These are young people, mainly with houses and flats bought with huge mortagages in Brighton and with skills that mean they will have to move out of Brighton to carry on employment. If 30% decide to set up on their own or were renting that means at least 70 houses/flats coming on to the market very soon !!!

Yowza! PLEASE get this up on the Argus website comments section somewhere, right at the top! Brilliant.

The point you make about older generation selling their properties off for sums beyond their wildest dreams and then just buying houses for grandchildren / children is spot on. My God some of these old timers have a LOT of equity. They bought their family home for £5000 / £10,000 back in the 60's / 70's, now their home is 'worth' 2 million. If they have 2 kids and choose to sell up to help their kids buy their own properties, that's at least £500k for each kid in pure cash leaving 1 million to retire on. Some of my friends in their 30's who live in bog standard 2 bed flats with their 2.2 kids can afford to languish in debt. Because when their 2 sets of parents pop off they will be coming into at least one million £s per couple (if prices don't collapse) and could be ensconced in million pound properties by the time they're 55.

Of course not everyone has nice middle class parents with desirable family homes costing one or two mill. I just wonder how many of those who buy in Brighton do have parents like this, and are counting the days until mum 'n dad obligingly give 'em a hand out or toddle off . . .

[PissedMonkey]

Just checking in to add a little balance here......

.....there always seems to be this negative talk of of the big orgre that is "people from London".

I've certainly moved down from London, although like most I wasn't actually from London. I dont have pockets stuffed with money, and I didn't go crazy on buying at top wack either.

And guess what? I commute back up every day for work and, you might want to whisper this, the commute is ok. I'd go as far as to say its quite pleasant and doesn't bother me.

Brighton is a NICE place to live. I enjoy it. It was a good move.

[PissedMonkey]

A great example of Brighton is down the Marina. I went down there the other day. Full of girls with huge sunglasses sipping cheap wine outside of Cafe Rouge like they were Paris Hilton in St Tropez. Brightonians sometimes compare their City to Barcelona or believe it to be this thing that it obviously isn't. Its appeal was always the raw edge, teh regency nostalgia, teh colourful people but it was never the fact that it was classy !! These people paying £450k for a house in Hannover are falling for Marketing blurb that makes them believe they are buying into a Cosmopolitan Coastal City with easy links to London and Waitrose on tap. Plonk them in front of KFC on London Road for 20 minutes on any given weekday and see what they think then....or why not take a stroll around the marina branch of Asda

....The Marina is just an out of town retail park that happens to be in the sea. I wouldn't use this as an example of Brighton - its populated by the same chavs you get in every other retail/lesuire park in the land surely?

I use it for a nice cheap Asda shop and that's all. It *could* be nice, but they would need to knock it down and start again.

[PissedMonkey]

Yowza! PLEASE get this up on the Argus website comments section somewhere, right at the top! Brilliant.

The point you make about older generation selling their properties off for sums beyond their wildest dreams and then just buying houses for grandchildren / children is spot on. My God some of these old timers have a LOT of equity. They bought their family home for £5000 / £10,000 back in the 60's / 70's, now their home is 'worth' 2 million. If they have 2 kids and choose to sell up to help their kids buy their own properties, that's at least £500k for each kid in pure cash leaving 1 million to retire on. Some of my friends in their 30's who live in bog standard 2 bed flats with their 2.2 kids can afford to languish in debt. Because when their 2 sets of parents pop off they will be coming into at least one million £s per couple (if prices don't collapse) and could be ensconced in million pound properties by the time they're 55.

Of course not everyone has nice middle class parents with desirable family homes costing one or two mill. I just wonder how many of those who buy in Brighton do have parents like this, and are counting the days until mum 'n dad obligingly give 'em a hand out or toddle off . . .

I feel like a bit of a troll today, but Im not, honest.......

Really? Is this *really* what you believe? People buy houses thinking "not to worry, this will soon be sorted when Mum and Dad die. I can do whatever I like."

I dont know your circumstances, but are you currently waiting for your parents to cark it?

I cant believe many people think like that, especially with your example of your friends (nice friends BTW) who are happy to wait 30 years, like, nothing can possibly happen in the next 30years to change that outcome can it?

I dunno, I just dont buy into this.

[shell]

I feel like a bit of a troll today, but Im not, honest.......

Really? Is this *really* what you believe? People buy houses thinking "not to worry, this will soon be sorted when Mum and Dad die. I can do whatever I like."

I dont know your circumstances, but are you currently waiting for your parents to cark it?

I cant believe many people think like that, especially with your example of your friends (nice friends BTW) who are happy to wait 30 years, like, nothing can possibly happen in the next 30years to change that outcome can it?

I dunno, I just dont buy into this.

Of course you don't know my circumstances. Why would I feel the need to tell people on an anonymous forum my personal circumstances? *shrug*

I think you're missing my irreverent tone. Of course nobody's waiting for their parents to die - well, some might be. But those whose parents own very expensive houses are set to own very expensive houses themselves. Hence you'll find some posh-ish but impoverished mumsnet-type Brighton mums happily popping out 3 or 4 babies when they and their partners haven't a bean. Fact. You don't have to buy anything. And if you've got parents with a house worth a mill - you won't even have to buy your own house! Of course anything can happen in 20, 30 years. Old people need care and care is ludicrously expensive. This should drain off some equity type wealth. I expect we'll be seeing interesting times ahead as more and more people will have to care for their parents in order to preserve sufficient wealth to buy their own property. The old are living longer - but with more health cuts ahead, including forced redundancies of specialist nurses in cardio units and all the other medical services helping to keep the old alive, this might not continue. Anyway. If your parents and your partner's parents own big f*** off houses, you can afford to feel a little bit smug. And no, I'm not going to tell you my personal circumstances.

[shell]

Just checking in to add a little balance here......

.....there always seems to be this negative talk of of the big orgre that is "people from London".

I've certainly moved down from London, although like most I wasn't actually from London. I dont have pockets stuffed with money, and I didn't go crazy on buying at top wack either.

And guess what? I commute back up every day for work and, you might want to whisper this, the commute is ok. I'd go as far as to say its quite pleasant and doesn't bother me.

Brighton is a NICE place to live. I enjoy it. It was a good move.

Er, (feeble cheer), hooray for you?