UK Property to HALVE Between Now and July 29, 2010

HAMISH_MCTAVISH

LisbonLaura wrote: »

My dear fellow one was merely trying to attract your attention as I know how busy you are.

Thank you for your views on the first link I posted, but I really would like your deepest thoughts on the other one SVP.
Here is a reminder
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/finance...-warns-IMF.html

Thxs.

Already answered in other thread.

Cleaver

carolt wrote: »

V interesting - and precisely why my OH, who's from Manchester and has loads of friends/family there, won't live there - because even in your nice safe house in a pleasant area, you're only a few minutes' bike ride/stolen car ride away from some crack-crazed nutter who fancies breaking your windows/legs. (Friend experienced the latter at uni there.)

Very true. Is that really different from any large city though? You live in Canary Wharf, you have Tower Hamlets next door. You live in Islington, you have Hackney next door. You live in many nice areas of London, Birmingham, Leeds, Bristol and you have quite rough areas right next door. Just city living isn't it?

Anyway, I quite like the variety. 'Poorer' areas tend to have the better bars, restaurants, shops etc. I obviously don't want to live in a crack ridden cesspit of an area, but I also don't want to live in a santitised, perfect area. I know some people do, and that's cool. Horses for courses I guess.

carolt

I can't answer for most of those cities, but TBH, I'd say it is noticeably different between London and Manchester. In faxt, the cost of home and car insurance sort of bears me out. In Manchester, the insurers know the criminals will come and find you - unless times have changed since I lived there 10 years ago - whereas in London most crime does - unaccountably - remain local. Usually, when crimes are reported on the news, they're all from areas I'd never dream of going to esp the tragic knife crimes do tend to be mainly in v dubious places with a S or E postcode.

No-one normal lives in Canary Wharf, do they? And Tower Hamlets isn't really a crimespot, it's just poor and ethnically mixed. Dodgier bits of Hackney certainly do merge seamlessly into more gentrified areas - one of the reasons why I'm personally rather suspicious of much of the gentrification that's supposed to have gone on.

But in general, if you live in a posh or middle class area in London, it's fairly quiet.

Shame - I'd love to take advantage of Manchester prices.

I do agree with you re enjoying less salubrious areas - up to a point.

I doubt you hang out in bars in Burnage in reality - any more than I hang out in bars in Peckham.

Cleaver

carolt wrote: »

I can't answer for most of those cities, but TBH, I'd say it is noticeably different between London and Manchester. In faxt, the cost of home and car insurance sort of bears me out. In Manchester, the insurers know the criminals will come and find you - unless times have changed since I lived there 10 years ago - whereas in London most crime does - unaccountably - remain local. Usually, when crimes are reported on the news, they're all from areas I'd never dream of going to esp the tragic knife crimes do tend to be mainly in v dubious places with a S or E postcode.

Well, I guess I would respectfully disagree with you, but happy to agree that it's all about your perspective. We've lived in Manchester for 3 years and never had so much as someone say something nasty to us, let alone be victims of any sort of crime. Might be just luck of course, but what else can you judge it on other than your own experiences?

I'm not nieve, I know it happens around here. But I feel generally 'safe', both out and about and at home. I have been mugged in London mind, but I generally feel pretty safe there most of the time too.

And anyway, I like my £80k flat, which is a mile from the city centre and would probably cost £250k in London. So I'll take my chances.

Cleaver

carolt wrote: »

I doubt you hang out in bars in Burnage in reality - any more than I hang out in bars in Peckham.

Actually, that's a very good point. I should clarify that areas need some sort of 'up and comingness' to be attractive.

The Lower East Side in New York is probably the best example - diverse, rough, edgey, the best bars and restaurants in the city, the best shops, most interesting people and a very slight perception that you might be mugged at any point. Love it.

carolt wrote: »

In faxt, the cost of home and car insurance sort of bears me out. In Manchester, the insurers know the criminals will come and find you - unless times have changed since I lived there 10 years ago

Obviously Manchester has it's moments, but it probably has changed quite a bit in 10 years.

carolt

Cleaver wrote: »

Well, I guess I would respectfully disagree with you, but happy to agree that it's all about your perspective. We've lived in Manchester for 3 years and never had so much as someone say something nasty to us, let alone be victims of any sort of crime. Might be just luck of course, but what else can you judge it on other than your own experiences?

I'm not nieve, I know it happens around here. But I feel generally 'safe', both out and about and at home. I have been mugged in London mind, but I generally feel pretty safe there most of the time too.

And anyway, I like my £80k flat, which is a mile from the city centre and would probably cost £250k in London. So I'll take my chances.

Fair enough.

Which area do you live in, or would you rather not say?

fc123

Before I go off and feed family a roasty dinner (slightly carb-lite too)Pls may I just say...... I have lived in areas that many humans do not ever leave alive........I did..I escaped.....but danger and perceptions of danger bla de bla......it could be something to do with concrete construction?

StevieJ

Cleaver wrote: »

Well, I guess I would respectfully disagree with you, but happy to agree that it's all about your perspective. We've lived in Manchester for 3 years and never had so much as someone say something nasty to us, let alone be victims of any sort of crime. Might be just luck of course, but what else can you judge it on other than your own experiences?

I miss living in Manchester, obviously you do get your bad eggs and scrotes but they are outnumbered 50-1 by some lovely warm people, I think the same can be said about Liverpool and other industrial cities like Newcastle.

Cleaver

carolt wrote: »

Fair enough.

Which area do you live in, or would you rather not say?

Nah, that's fine. We're in Salford, but I'm aware that that is one big place. We're kinda spitting distance from what is technically classed at Manchester City Centre. Moved here a few years ago and love life up here - the gigs, eating and drinking out, walking to work, the culture, having a decent library, individual businesses. Bascially all the stuff we couldn't get on our doorstep where we used to live. Just really like the place - but sure we would have enjoyed moving to any other city just as much.

I had two job offers on the table when we decided we wanted to move from our small town in the Midlands, one oop north and one in London. The one in London paid about 60% more than the one up here (both very different jobs in different sectors I should add), but we worked out that we could still have a better standard of living up here. And so glad we made that decision as it was right for us.

Where abouts are you Carol?

lostinrates

Actually I'm with Cleaver on this: London does hve grotty areas, often small pockets, in otherwise ''nice areas''. I'm thinking of paticular estates in SW3,. SW7, NW3 etc. However small the areas, however exclusive the post code, you would catch me linving in them. OTOH if they were not between me and the tube/bus stop I'd live -and hundreds of thousands of others do live -under, well under, half a mile from them and feel quite satisfied with where they live. Its the nature of city living, by and large.