Property Obsession

carolt

I'm pretty much like the last poster - my home (as a venue where I live with my family, have my stuff) is very important to me. Owning one isn't that important, obviously, or I would have bought something, maybe less than perfect, a few years ago. Money is only money, but you can't have the time back again, so for me the focus is on a happy home, rather than whether prices are x or y.

undetterred

bumpoowee wrote: »

Well I follow property prices etc fairly closely as will be looking to buy in next couple of years (waiting to see what happens after Tories get in first). Once i've bought somewhere I won't bother following it, I just want a home to bring up my daughter and don't care if I make/lose paper money once I have that.

What will the tories do?if they get in?

Cleaver

undetterred wrote: »

What will the tories do?if they get in?

Pretty much exactly the same as any other party but with a slightly different twist on things. Different coloured ties, slightly alterted taxes but still dressed up as 'green policy', a chancellor that looks more like the poshest public school boy ever rather than a character from muppets. That kinda thing.

I think politics attracts a a certain type of egotistical, rather self-motivated, odd-ball person and then these people have to operate in a woefully outdated system that is no longer fit for purpose whilst being scared to offend everyone, so therefore never actually coming up with any brave, radical or straightforward policies that might actually work.

Sorry, I sound a bit cynical. Ahh well.

carolt

Cleaver wrote: »

a chancellor that looks more like the poshest public school boy ever rather than a character from muppets.

So true!

Can't believe I never thought of that!

Cleaver

I can't claim to be original for this by the way - people have been making the comparisons for years. It is quite uncanny. Poor chap.

HAMISH_MCTAVISH

undetterred wrote: »

What will the tories do?if they get in?

Nothing different at all.

carolt

I think it will be easier for them to do unpopular stuff and blame it all on the lot who came before...

bumpoowee

undetterred wrote: »

What will the tories do?if they get in?

Well this is getting slightly off the point, but I'd expect they'd be quicker to discontinue the current push by labour to keep property prices high. So I'm thinking prices will go down quite a bit shortly after they get in.

Of course I don't know exactly what they plan to do hence the 'waiting to see' bit - but I do expect things to change significantly after the election.

LydiaJ

I hope to buy a home within the next year or two so I'm spending a fair amount of time absorbing information about houses, house prices and the economy at the moment (hence coming on this board). Once I've bought the thing, I'll get on with living in it and I won't be interested in prices any more.

Most of my savings are earmarked for buying a home - not as an investment but as somewhere to live. The only investment aspect of it is that I would like to own outright by the time I retire, so I won't have to pay rent when I'm on a pension instead of a salary. I watch property programmes because they help me get my head round issues I hadn't given much thought to until fairly recently.

When I buy a house, I'm prepared to pay for space and for location, but I'm not bothered about "wow factor" and "high end finish". I'd rather live in something that's a bit scruffy and/or dated and get more square footage in a better school catchment. The word "immaculate" in EA's descriptions puts me right off - it won't stay immaculate for long once my kids start living in it, so I don't want to be paying over the odds for it to be immaculate at the beginning.

Thrugelmir

The obsession with property is understandable. Why spend years of your life qualifying to be a heart surgeon, barrister, or even attempting to get 60 minutes of fame on the television to become a celebrity. When property speculation requires no effort, no qualifications, no knowledge of business (in the widest sense), no initial capital and very little education.

You can get a basic job. Buy your first house and you are away. Keep on using existing equity in your properties to purchase yet more property. If you need money for holidays and new BMW's. Just buy another one give it a coat of paint and hey presto no need to work again for 3 months.

Don't bother informing the taxman. Pay your Eastern European labourers in cash. And the return is even better.

As a landlord. Only rent to people who daren't complain about the quality of your property. Never refund deposits. Pack as many people into each house as you can.

If you think the taxman is on to you. Sell up, leave Britain and move elsewhere in the EEC where the cost of living is cheaper. Using your new found wealth to open a pub or other new venture.