Why house prices are certain to fall

Cleaver

Snooze wrote: »

Well if you were stupid you could say that, yes.

R

But you said in your post that whilst, on paper, there are enough properties for people to live in, lots of them are boarded up and empty as people don't want to live in them. In other areas there 'aren't enough' houses in the areas and of the type that people want.

So it's up to you how you want to phrase it. In one way you can say that 'there are enough houses'. Which, UK-wide, there are. For someone who earns a good wage, in a nice town there is probably a shortage of nice, well-built semi-detached houses in desirable areas, for example.

I'm not sure what's stupid about this? There's a shedload of boarded up houses all over Liverpool. That's not much use to someone who wants a quality, affordable house in Oxford is it?

vivatifosi

There was a time you could just post any old thing on this board and get away with it. Now we have not only Cleaver's extraordinary graphing skills, but we are encouraged to follow Keynes and come up with a simple yet totally explanatory formula. I'm sorry but I can't compete. However this is my formula for getting through the day while coping with economic doom and gloom:

GU + SN + BSP + DEC = :mad::eek:

Where:

GU = getting up happy, thinking all is well with the world, having a shower, opening curtains and looking at the gorgeous sunshine. All is right with the world. Have a cup of coffee while sittling on sofa going through post. Turn on TV.

SN = watching Sky News and hearing first bad news of day. Today it is how much UK is losing on a daily basis. Am embarrassed that I didn't realise the scale of the problem, before getting angry with with Gordon Brown (again). Turns to laptop for solace.

BSP = if that's not bad enough, people with Brains the Size of a Planet (eg Generali and the investment advisor I met earlier this week and who has e-mailed me) tell me that the UK is going to hell in a handbasket. Recoil in horror.

DEC = cue evidence to the contrary, generally from the Daily Express. House prices up, coffee good, coffee bad. Very confused.

My brain cannot cope with all this.

Snooze

Cleaver wrote: »

But you said in your post that whilst, on paper, there are enough properties for people to live in, lots of them are boarded up and empty as people don't want to live in them. In other areas there 'aren't enough' houses in the areas and of the type that people want.

So it's up to you how you want to phrase it. In one way you can say that 'there are enough houses'. Which, UK-wide, there are. For someone who earns a good wage, in a nice town there is probably a shortage of nice, well-built semi-detached houses in desirable areas, for example.

I'm not sure what's stupid about this? There's a shedload of boarded up houses all over Liverpool. That's not much use to someone who wants a quality, affordable house in Oxford is it?

!!!!!!? Until your post no-one mentioned anything about specific areas. You're just splitting hairs to start an argument or something. Read it whichever way you want, the end result is that there isn't a shortage of houses. If there isn't a house where you want one to be then either build one yourself one or deal with it and move on.

R

Cleaver

Snooze wrote: »

!!!!!!? Until your post no-one mentioned anything about specific areas. You're just splitting hairs to start an argument or something. Read it whichever way you want, the end result is that there isn't a shortage of houses. If there isn't a house where you want one to be then either build one yourself one or deal with it and move on.

I think, possibly, that we're in agreement my fiestly little friend. Are you saying that there are enough houses, spread across the country to fit in all the people of our land? If that's the case, I am in full agreement with you.

I'm also in agreement that if there isn't a house where you want one then you can indeed build one or deal with it and move on. Unfortunately, you often can't build one in the area you want and most people are reluctant to 'move on' as they want a specific area. Thus creating demand in certain areas and, obviously, a 'shortage' of housing in certain areas.

the_ash_and_the_oak

Generali wrote: »

Supply isn't 'the total number of houses' any more than demand is 'the number of people that want to own a house'.

exactly!

supply of houses (to own) and supply of accomodation (to live in) are not the same thing. regardless of what is currently happening with the former, the idea that there are an insufficient number of places to live is confusing at best

Snooze

Cleaver wrote: »

I think, possibly, that we're in agreement my fiestly little friend. Are you saying that there are enough houses, spread across the country to fit in all the people of our land? If that's the case, I am in full agreement with you.

I'm also in agreement that if there isn't a house where you want one then you can indeed build one or deal with it and move on. Unfortunately, you often can't build one in the area you want and most people are reluctant to 'move on' as they want a specific area. Thus creating demand in certain areas and, obviously, a 'shortage' of housing in certain areas.

I kind of agree. I think we're at crossed wires with each other as you're on about private houses and I was on about council houses, although I didn't make that clear, admittedly.

Basically, my somewhat simplistic view on this alleged housing shortage is thus :

Private house whingers - "there's no quality, affordable houses in Oxford" - tough !!!!!!, life sometimes sucks and you can't always have what you want so I suggest you type 'houses' and 'Oxford' into Rightmove and choose another one from the 683 available. Or apply for planning and build one yourself.

Council house whingers - "there's no houses in nice areas" - tough !!!!!! and time to wake up and realise that there's no such thing as 'nice council estates' anymore. If you want to live in a nice area then you need to get saving and either buy or rent privately, otherwise you get what the council gives you and if that's in some crime-ridden hellhole then so be it.

There's a council estate a few miles down the road from me which I drive through regularly to get to the local supermarket. There's been 2 and 3 bed semis tinned up down there for years now with nothing visibly wrong with them structurally. What's the problem with giving them a lick of magnolia and fitting them a cheapo kitchen and making sure the CH works and getting some folks in them? That's easily 100+ families housed just in one estate.

Sorry but this whole housing shortage thing is BS and I get sick of hearing the sob stories about it.

Feel better for that

R

new_home_owner_3

I agree with there isnt a shortage of houses, but there is a shortage of affordable nice houses for people in nice areas, like the person said above if you want to live in one of these areas you need to get saving, as these houses are at a premium and they get snapped up quite quickly.

In other words some of the people who are hoping for 50 percent fall, might be able to get a really cheap house now, however if its a nice house in a nice area i doubt they will get anywhere near a 50 percent drop now, or in the very near future.

the_ash_and_the_oak

uh not really theres loads of nice houses in nice areas - ive lived in 3 in the last 2 years - never found it difficult to move somewhere good imo

new_home_owner_3

the_ash_and_the_oak wrote: »

uh not really theres loads of nice houses in nice areas - ive lived in 3 in the last 2 years - never found it difficult to move somewhere good imo

If they was that nice why did you need to move so much? Was the area to nice for you?

I take it you mean rent, or have you bought and sold 3 houses in 2 years?

the_ash_and_the_oak

new_home_owner wrote: »

If they was that nice why did you need to move so much? Was the area to nice for you?

I take it you mean rent, or have you bought and sold 3 houses in 2 years?

when choosing somewhere to live i have a number of things to take into account other than just the niceness of the area - also personal situations sometimes change. pretty sure none of the areas were too nice for me tho

I rent, correct