How do you get on the property ladder?!

franklee

pinkshoes wrote: »

Kids are expensive, but I think I'd give up my career and home/mortgage any day to have kids! I'm quite sure I couldn't afford both, hence I'm the same age as you (going by the user name!) and still childless!

So why is half the country wedded to the notion that such high house prices are a good thing? After all if selling one house you invariably buy another equally expensive so it's not as if the normal home owner even benefits that much!

baileysbattlebus

We are desperate to move into our own home, as I want better for my kids than living in a council house, our current house is only 2 beds (with 2 kids and 2 step kids who stay over, this is not fun! The council wont consider moving us till my eldest is 10 years old!!!

I know councils class children under 10 as a half a person and they are expected to share a room regardless of sex.

Councils don't seem to take into account children from a previous relationship even if they stay over at weekends etc.

A girl I know has a 2 bed council flat, she has 2 young children and 4 stepchildren who visit every weekend and stay for longer during the school holidays. Even when the eldest of her stepchildren came to live with them (she was 16), they weren't entitled to anywhere bigger. The council said the girl could still live at ther mother's house.

I know it's tough trying to buy a house, especially with children and your expenses are high. We were in your position many years ago, with 3 young children, but we did it, we were able to get a high LTV mortgage. I remember the first thing to hit us about 3 days after moving in was a letter asking for virtually a whole months mortgage payment - for us it was totally unexpected - and nearly a show stopper - it meant we had to find 2 mortgage payments out of one months salary. If we had expected it we would have made sure we had the extra money.

Don't think that living in council property is worse than living with a mortgage - it isn't. TBH if people think any less of you because of where you live they aren't worth knowing.

All I can say is keep on saving - if you can - things mght change, your circumstances might change for the better.

My opinion, for what it's worth, would be to sit tight and ride out the recession and see what your position is then, if you lose your jobs, you won't be homeless. If you were a mortgage holder you could be.

chickmug

Running_Horse wrote: »

The real answer is do what I did, buy your house first, go without luxuries for years, then have kids. But Chickmug would probably tell me off. I'm a great believer in taking responsibility for ones own actions, and making the best of what you have.

I must admit to being a bit confused. Why would I tell you off?

britbabe1979

Thanks everyone for your thoughts and ideas. It is very frustrating, and I just can't see a time when things will get better (although I guess thats why house prices are so inflated, as no-one could see a time when they dropped). Somtimes you just think that you get no-where for doing the right thing... get an education, get qualified jobs... and still get pooed on!! lol Coming from a humble background we're not in a position to go to the bank of Mum and Dad either. Seems like having aspirations in this country are not welcomed by the government! Rich get richer and all that..... If house prices dont tumble further then the market will surely grow more stagnant as FTB's are the most important people in the whole chain I think! Fingers crossed they do(for the FTBs at least).

britbabe1979

baileysbattlebus wrote: »

Don't think that living in council property is worse than living with a mortgage - it isn't. TBH if people think any less of you because of where you live they aren't worth knowing.

All I can say is keep on saving - if you can - things mght change, your circumstances might change for the better.

My opinion, for what it's worth, would be to sit tight and ride out the recession and see what your position is then, if you lose your jobs, you won't be homeless. If you were a mortgage holder you could be.

I dont dislike social housing as such, because if my roof falls in it's not us who has to pay for it, but we cannot move on with our lives, have no choice over where we live, and what our house is like, and thats frustrating and demoralising.

Getting back to saving seems a long way off as we're only managing to keep our heads above water now.... but I guess it's a blessing we dont have a mortgage right now!

poppy_f1

britbabe1979 wrote: »

Paw purrs...We have the right to acquire which gives us a flat rate discount (9k) in my area so we are considering going down this route..... hoping that the Housing Association grossly undervalue our house and then we can sell it straight away hey presto deposit for better house?!?!?... but again this has its pit falls as if we sell withing 10 years we have to give them first refusal, and within 5 years we have to pay all or a % of the discount back. We couldnt extend it as its mid terrace with a smallish garden and the roof too low pitch for loft conversion (we've thought about this cant you tell hehehe)
Give council tenants a bad name! lol

good plan if you get enough

Running_Horse

britbabe1979 wrote: »

Thanks everyone for your thoughts and ideas. It is very frustrating, and I just can't see a time when things will get better (although I guess thats why house prices are so inflated, as no-one could see a time when they dropped). Somtimes you just think that you get no-where for doing the right thing... get an education, get qualified jobs... and still get pooed on!! lol Coming from a humble background we're not in a position to go to the bank of Mum and Dad either. Seems like having aspirations in this country are not welcomed by the government! Rich get richer and all that..... If house prices dont tumble further then the market will surely grow more stagnant as FTB's are the most important people in the whole chain I think! Fingers crossed they do(for the FTBs at least).

Do you really think you have been "pooed on"? A lot of people come on here unable to get the social housing you have been given. I came from a high price area where I was told not to bother going on the council list, and would never have been able to afford to buy. So I bought in a grotty area and commuted. That was my choice, but it never occured to me I had a right to be a homeowner. The best thing the government can do to help you is stop meddling in the housing market to prop up prices with silly schemes.

[Deleted User]

Running_Horse wrote: »

With all due respect, you are possibly asking the impossible, and in the absence of some new government scheme, all anyone can do is offer sympathy. You could come up with a long term plan to get better trained, buy your council house, and move on in a few years.

The real answer is do what I did, buy your house first, go without luxuries for years, then have kids. But Chickmug would probably tell me off. I'm a great believer in taking responsibility for ones own actions, and making the best of what you have.

This is my view; if you can't support your own children you shouldn't be having them. I'm not a parent, so maybe I don't know what it's like, but from an outsiders point of view it would seem that having kids seems to be a sort of "get from the government.". If you can't afford your living and you're not confident that your situation won't take a turn for the worse, why go and have kids?

However, with the economic problems, it's not your 'fault', but then again you should always plan for the worst.

Good luck though, it's a bad situation to be in and I wish you the best

britbabe1979

Running_Horse wrote: »

Do you really think you have been "pooed on"? A lot of people come on here unable to get the social housing you have been given. I came from a high price area where I was told not to bother going on the council list, and would never have been able to afford to buy. So I bought in a grotty area and commuted. That was my choice, but it never occured to me I had a right to be a homeowner. The best thing the government can do to help you is stop meddling in the housing market to prop up prices with silly schemes.

Sorry, I dont mean to sound ungrateful at all, as someone else said people would chew off their left leg to get social housing, however I have lived in this house for 7 years now, and previously in 1 bed flat and have about reached the end of my tether. Thing is we are (were) in a position to be able to buy and we could free up a house for someone who needs social housing more than us. I appreciate we have more than most, both have jobs, healthy kids, but living in a 2 bed house with our family situation is stressful. Apologies if I cause offence to any one.

My personal situation has changed over the years, as when I had my children there was no way we would have been able to buy a property... but things change and now I am able to see that we could buy a house.. if all the things in my original post hadnt come n bit us on the bum! We planned for the worst... and the worst came and ate our savings....!!

lostinrates

britbabe1979 wrote: »

Thing is we are (were) in a position to be able to buy

Were you really though? If you had bought your partner would still have had this three day week thing, and you would have stood to lose a lot more if things don't get better for a while, or indeed worse. I think part of the problem a lot of people who thought they could suport buying really, in truth, couldn't, not sustainably. IMO you have been wise, seeing what life has brought for you.

My personal situation has changed over the years,

Most people's situations do change. The property programmes don't always acknowledge this, but women do have a predispositiion to having babies, and relationships change/break up/start with ne people with other children. The ''normal'' route is now abnormal.:)

as when I had my children there was no way we would have been able to buy a property... but things change and now I am able to see that we could buy a house.. if all the things in my original post hadnt come n bit us on the bum! We planned for the worst... and the worst came and ate our savings....!!

You did the right thing...if you hjad bought those times where you couldn't support it still happen. Those also tend to be the times repairs seem to crop up and the car breaks down. Its a PITA but its how it is. You are probably in a better position now than you would have been had you bought on the edge of afordablity when both in work/no children.