Would-be buyers - beware the trolls on this board

carolt

Just a note to any would-be buyer out there: you may have noticed (a) that house prices have fallen solidly for the last 11 months (b) that annual house price falls now outstrip those at the worst point of the early 90's crash (c) that all financial experts are regularly predicting Armageddon in the world economy, as one bank after another collapses.

Yes there are some pretty peculiar headlines out there in Money Saving Expert's housing forum - along the line of 'Everything fine and dandy!', 'House prices set to soar' etc - posted by the same 1 or 2 individuals - londonlandlady, horseinhatman etc - who are probably the same individual troll posting under different names.

Before you come away with the false impression that us folks here on MSE know something that has escaped the rest of the world's financial experts/media, please be aware that certain very determined and busy trolls have been attempting to use the board as a propaganda platform.

As the name londonlandlady may suggest, this is not some disinterested observer - this is someone with a desperate need to prop up tottering house prices at all costs.

By all means, take their advice, if you so wish.

But remember - caveat emptor.:eek:

Antispam

Yes there are a couple of them on here.

jamescredmond

carolt wrote: »

Just a note to any would-be buyer out there: you may have noticed (a) that house prices have fallen solidly for the last 11 months (b) that annual house price falls now outstrip those at the worst point of the early 90's crash (c) that all financial experts are regularly predicting Armageddon in the world economy, as one bank after another collapses.

Yes there are some pretty peculiar headlines out there in Money Saving Expert's housing forum - along the line of 'Everything fine and dandy!', 'House prices set to soar' etc - posted by the same 1 or 2 individuals - londonlandlady, horseinhatman etc - who are probably the same individual troll posting under different names.

Before you come away with the false impression that us folks here on MSE know something that has escaped the rest of the world's financial experts/media, please be aware that certain very determined and busy trolls have been attempting to use the board as a propaganda platform.

As the name londonlandlady may suggest, this is not some disinterested observer - this is someone with a desperate need to prop up tottering house prices at all costs.

By all means, take their advice, if you so wish.

But remember - caveat emptor.:eek:

timely advice.

I'll all for HIHM's/LLL's wind-ups - some are actually funny.

but, as you point out, there's a danger of an ftb'er with zilch experience re housing market looking here and being misled into thinking 'time to buy'.

this is when the trolls stop being funny and start to become sinister.

caveat emptor indeed.

HammersFan

I kinda know where you are coming from carolt, but I think the same warning could apply to the doom-laden posts of many regulars on here. Not all FTBs would be over-stretching themselves, or in recession-prone jobs. Might they not benefit from having the chance to evaluate information about the possibility of very deep cuts in interest rates that can be found in the Times today.

ess0two

Trolls/doomers/keyboard warriors is anybody that dumb to take advice from an internet forum.

jamescredmond

ess0two wrote: »

Trolls/doomers/keyboard warriors is anybody that dumb to take advice from an internet forum.

sure - with plenty of research and following post opinion that's backed by linked evidence.

I don't call that 'dumb'.

Incisor

At risk of egging him/them on, it is noticeable that he/they do[es] not actually advise any individual to buy, so I am not too bothered about him/them unless they misadvise an individual.

In a way it is quite charming to see his/their antics. Propaganda has not been so entertaining since the days of Lord Haw Haw.

hethmar

I have to admire his rhino quality thick skin

Optimisticpair

There is also the possibility that the property someone is thinking of buying is not in an area where there are anything like the size of price drops being reported by 'doom and gloom MSE'ers'. Most of the doom-laden posts refer to England so if outside of that area buyers do need to do their own homework.

Another point is comparing renting to buying. I would bear in mind that there are other 'costs' involved in renting such as potential insecurity of tenure. Good and bad neighbours can move in and out whether you rent or buy but I think owners are likely to be there longer. Also you probably can't compare what you get space and area wise for renting cheaply with what you might get if buying. If you rent that covers repairs, one hopes, which as the owner will fall on yourself.

If buying I would say be sure you can afford the purchase regardless of what happens to interest rates, (I will only do it for the long term) and if there was a disaster you had to pay for everything on one wage.

I hope that I have covered everything important and that it helps to restore perspective.

howler_2

carolt wrote: »

Just a note to any would-be buyer out there: you may have noticed (a) that house prices have fallen solidly for the last 11 months (b) that annual house price falls now outstrip those at the worst point of the early 90's crash (c) that all financial experts are regularly predicting Armageddon in the world economy, as one bank after another collapses.

Yes there are some pretty peculiar headlines out there in Money Saving Expert's housing forum - along the line of 'Everything fine and dandy!', 'House prices set to soar' etc - posted by the same 1 or 2 individuals - londonlandlady, horseinhatman etc - who are probably the same individual troll posting under different names.

Before you come away with the false impression that us folks here on MSE know something that has escaped the rest of the world's financial experts/media, please be aware that certain very determined and busy trolls have been attempting to use the board as a propaganda platform.

As the name londonlandlady may suggest, this is not some disinterested observer - this is someone with a desperate need to prop up tottering house prices at all costs.

By all means, take their advice, if you so wish.

But remember - caveat emptor.:eek:

Excellent post. Some on here clearly find it amusing to post the 'house prices are rising, buy now' rubbish.

I hope this acts as a warning to people ot ignore such nonsense

codger

The poster of self-proclaimed equine provenance was actually quite funny in his / her / its first half-dozen posts and certainly seemed to be shaping up to be a troll. But then the humour evaporated completely and he / she / it emerged as a mere wum.

As to the poster with an ID relating to the provision of digs to strolling players, he / she / it has never attempted to provide any entertainment value at all, so has, disappointingly, been a wos from the outset.