UK new builds rejected for social housing

RobertoMoir

Need to keep this thread and the BBC link to hand to post for all those mad people who think whatever elaborate builder's ponzi scheme they've fallen for to buy a new build actually means they've got a bargain.

ninky_2

Pssst wrote: »

Crummy terraces trading for £200-£300k when you could buy a ince detached house in Oz,USA,NZ for the same money?

tbf, you can still by a nice detached house in parts of the uk for the same money. (and probably still have more chance of a decent career).

house prices are unaffordable in many parts of the world relative to average income. as evidenced by the need in australia to give ftbs a grant to help them onto the property ladder.

PasturesNew

As a lot of people know (those that take notes) .. I do like my daytime TV - and one programme takes Brits to Aus to try it out for a week.

They rent them a lovely house, they take them house-hunting, they get them a job, they introduce them to people and an area, then they ask what they think.

For the majority of these programmes, the houses they could buy if they sold their UK house is quite magnificent, but for the wages they would be paid in their job if they'd lived there all their lives they'd not have been able to afford the gorgeous houses. For those (few) they take out that are renting, they wouldn't be able to buy a house they expected over there. I've seen some quite small/pokey houses offered to them.

Some realised that if they took their equity there, they could buy the nice house, but on the wages they'd be paid they'd not be able to partake of the "lifestyle". After all, lifestyle costs money. Most also remark that the cost of food is more expensive, but maybe that's because they're heading for a Brit food list in the supermarkets and not an Aus food list.

Aus is only attractive house-wise if you've got a house to sell here that has quite a bit of equity - or you happen to be in a highly paid job over there. Most weren't. In fact, a lot found that the wages there were significantly lower.... and a few even found they'd not be able to find a job there.

Yes the sun shines a lot ... but the spiders put them off.



The UK weather being permanently sh1te is what really gets us down.

Generali

ninky wrote: »

http://www.news.com.au/business/money/story/0,25479,23613617-5013951,00.html

mentioned here. it actually says every second day. still doesn't sound that enticing.

Most of the places on that list are mining towns where the mine has closed or been temporarily shut (mostly the latter).

There's been a bit of a stink about it on the news over here. A mining company opens a mine over here and will then make a commitment to the workers that the mine will be open for xx years. That way the workers can plan what to do about housing, families, schools etc.

Companies said they'd open a mine for 25 years and so workers took out 25 year mortgages and built homes.

The land is just about free so you get a really nice house for say $200,000 (well usually it's a bit of a McMansion but some people like them) so you pay perhaps $1,200/month and end up with a house that may well be valueless but it doesn't really matter as you never factored in a resale value anyway.

Well in many cases, these mines that were going to be open for 25 years have closed 18 months later and these miners are now stuck with a huge liability and no asset as who wants to live in some flyblown town with no employment in the middle of outback WA?

It's pretty scandalous really - these workers have been left high and dry by companies lying to them. Hopefully when mines start opening, the companies that have done this will find it very hard to attract decent workers. If the mines were for marginal production, that should have been made clear so workers just rented a room or something.

Most of the places in Sydney are just up the road from me. I go speed training on the bike in Parramatta!

Generali

vivatifosi wrote: »

Just had a look at the list. Interested to see that it includes the Sunshine Coast. I'd much rather live in Noosa on the Sunshine Coast than in, say, Toxteth here. I have family there and their standard of living is way higher than it would be in a place at the theoretical bottom of places in the UK. Though it is a list for investment purpose, so drivers other than a decent place to live are likely to be factors.

Prices in the Sunshine Coast have been driven by investors from the cities. The investment money has dried up and prices have headed south quickly. The Sunshine Coast remains what it used to be - a place for surfies from NSW to go and play.

Generali

PasturesNew wrote: »

As a lot of people know (those that take notes) .. I do like my daytime TV - and one programme takes Brits to Aus to try it out for a week.

They rent them a lovely house, they take them house-hunting, they get them a job, they introduce them to people and an area, then they ask what they think.

For the majority of these programmes, the houses they could buy if they sold their UK house is quite magnificent, but for the wages they would be paid in their job if they'd lived there all their lives they'd not have been able to afford the gorgeous houses. For those (few) they take out that are renting, they wouldn't be able to buy a house they expected over there. I've seen some quite small/pokey houses offered to them.

Some realised that if they took their equity there, they could buy the nice house, but on the wages they'd be paid they'd not be able to partake of the "lifestyle". After all, lifestyle costs money. Most also remark that the cost of food is more expensive, but maybe that's because they're heading for a Brit food list in the supermarkets and not an Aus food list.

Aus is only attractive house-wise if you've got a house to sell here that has quite a bit of equity - or you happen to be in a highly paid job over there. Most weren't. In fact, a lot found that the wages there were significantly lower.... and a few even found they'd not be able to find a job there.

Yes the sun shines a lot ... but the spiders put them off.



The UK weather being permanently sh1te is what really gets us down.

The supermarkets are more expensive over here but overall a decent lifestyle costs a lot less in Aus than in the UK.

Firstly, people entertain at home much more than in the UK which is cheap. You buy a few steaks, sausages and salads 3 or 4 times a year and fill the fridge with beer and you could go out every weekend for the rest of the year on the reciprocal invitations.

Also, petrol is very cheap so car costs are much reduced - you can get around the place very cheaply if you don't mind driving.

Also, there's a great culture of helping each other out (a bit like the UK used to be but sadly doesn't seem to be any more) so you don't pay nearly as much for tradesmen as your mate or neighbour will come out and do it for you. You'll end up returning the favour when his daughter moves house and they need to borrow your trailer or whatever.

ninky_2

Generali wrote: »

The supermarkets are more expensive over here but overall a decent lifestyle costs a lot less in Aus than in the UK.

Firstly, people entertain at home much more than in the UK which is cheap. You buy a few steaks, sausages and salads 3 or 4 times a year and fill the fridge with beer and you could go out every weekend for the rest of the year on the reciprocal invitations.

Also, petrol is very cheap so car costs are much reduced - you can get around the place very cheaply if you don't mind driving.

Also, there's a great culture of helping each other out (a bit like the UK used to be but sadly doesn't seem to be any more) so you don't pay nearly as much for tradesmen as your mate or neighbour will come out and do it for you. You'll end up returning the favour when his daughter moves house and they need to borrow your trailer or whatever.

well apart from cheap fuel these are things we can (and some do) do in the uk. don't know the social circles you moved in in uk generali but we do a lot of entertaining at home. rarely go to restaurants / bars (tend to think they are a rip off and people's home are a nicer environment). also do a lot of helping out each other and "mates rates". certainly this has been the case with doing up our place and others. maybe it's because my OH isn't native brit quite a few of his mates are iranian and quite a few of my close mates here are from overseas too (mainly nz). (bbqs are very popular in iran and restaurants are generally something blokes there would use when travelling away from home).

Generali

ninky wrote: »

well apart from cheap fuel these are things we can (and some do) do in the uk. don't know the social circles you moved in in uk generali but we do a lot of entertaining at home. rarely go to restaurants / bars (tend to think they are a rip off and people's home are a nicer environment). also do a lot of helping out each other and "mates rates". certainly this has been the case with doing up our place and others. maybe it's because my OH isn't native brit quite a few of his mates are iranian and quite a few of my close mates here are from overseas too (mainly nz). (bbqs are very popular in iran and restaurants are generally something blokes there would use when travelling away from home).

Fair enough. My experience of living in the UK is clearly different from yours.

Also most Aussies live pretty near the beach which is also a very nice and cheap day out over here.

Adebisi

This board always seems to turn into the Oz tourist board for some reason? I lived in Oz and I liked the time I was there but did not want to stay. It is (and I am not going to say 'it was for me' as everyone seems to give a subjective standpoint on here anyway) a place that has no soul, culture, humour but does have quite a lot of racism.

The only good things are everyone entertains at home and has a BBQ everynight, it's like one big party. They have no depression at all as the sun shine takes that away. Everyone does sports and will live till around 130. There is no crime because everyone helps each other out when they need something so no need to steal. Education is better. All young brit backpackers try and stay there and get extended visas while no aussie ones ever want to stay in the UK as it's cold and we are all depressed.

Generali

Adebisi wrote: »

Oz... a place that has no soul, culture, humour but does have quite a lot of racism.

There's nothing like a good, old-fashioned stereotype eh?

All Irish are thick, the Spanish lazy and lets not get you started on the Germans.