A Year In The Life

treliac

fc123 wrote: »

I just can't see it happening in the next 2 decades. RTB would have to be gotten rid of first.
I knew loads of poeple who cleaned up on RTB. Unfortunately not us...it was something that really used to wind me up years ago....I mean I would get so riled by the 'unfairness'' of it.
Now I concentrate on ...umm...err....world peace and things:D

They have almost privatised social housing by now paying LHA on private rents.

I don't know if you can rememeber but I am sure 25 years ago you couldn't get your rent paid on private lets...I may be wrong though as had no direct experience of it. Perhaps on cheap rents but not equivalent to a grand a month.

Right to buy should end - agreed.

Don't know what the private rental situation was. There was very little of it around when I was single. A council place was no more available than it is now and I don't think there was the housing association involvement - no one told me if there was!

People were either able to buy on a mortgage or, if they got pregnant and couldn't buy, the council found them somewhere - much like today.

The only way I managed to find somewhere was to hear about some grotty, slummy first floor rooms in an old house. High ceilings and no heating bar a couple of electric fires, draughty bay windows, damp in most rooms, neglected, peeling, no floor covering. I cleaned up as best I could (allowing clouds of hibernating moths to fly off), slapped some paint on to cover the dark fuschia walls (yuck!) and stuck it out for a couple of years until I could get a deposit together for a 1-bedroomed flat. I actually thought myself lucky at the time. Shortly after I left it was pulled down!

But I always worked and I always paid for myself - even though there was nothing left over after living expenses were covered.

dopester

Yes fc, hopefully he will finish his apprenticeship and qualify. There is always demand for those with a skill like building/ bricklayers.. I'm just unsure on the pay it will command into the future. Even then though, it might command a lot more pay, in adjusted terms, than in many other sectors.. such as those working in call-centres ect.

I think your nature is quite kind fc, to be positive for Rictus and play down the possible negatives, but despite him being 18ish.. I can't gloss over the difficulties ahead. It was his dreamy BTL ambitions that riled me into a reality response from my POV. It's not like I'm telling some youngster that Father Christmas isn't real.

People like Rictus still expecting BTL as the winning ticket for success and the thing to do in life tests my 'credit-revulsion' theory. With youngsters' eyes full of BTL dreaming, and not yet having felt any of the epic changes underway.

Although I did say credit-revulsion from those in a position to put some of their own money down and pass lenders borrowing qualification. Not the dreamers who don't have much of their own to put in to it, or those who banks don't fancy their employment prospects.

Sometimes I wonder if its all kids now think of doing from school:

Teacher: And what do you want to be when you grow up Josh?
Josh: I'm going to be a landlord Mrs Carolt, and own lots of flats and houses. Borrow lots of money and be really rich.
Teacher: Class, is there anyone else who plans to do this?
(Entire classroom of kids raise their hands)

dopester

fc123 wrote: »

Don't know about anyone else, but car repairs and the like seem to cost more each year...have pay rates for mechanics increased?

I don't think there has been much by way of falling rates at any mainstream repair / service garage - at least around here. One dealer has done a price match. Others I think you could easily bargain with for a cheaper deal on a service or repair. My thoughts are their volume of trade for servicing and repairs is falling, with them keeping rates at old-world levels. Maybe more people booking in at Kwik-Fit for a service rather than main dealer, or finding a little garage on a backwater industrial estate for a cheaper repair?

Also.. how many older cars which may have otherwise been in for an expensive repair to keep running, have now been scrapped with the £2K kickback towards a newer car? Although I have my doubts to the reliability of some new cars anyway, with thoughts of manufacturers cutting back on items in the build quality.

Ringing an independent specialist (time served mechanics with main dealers) last week I was quoted £58 (= 1 hour labour rate, not including parts) for work on a relatives car. Simple job too which I can do at a leisurely pace on my own car in 30 minutes, but am unsure how to get access on my relative's car - even after being given advice from a car forum on how to do it. (I don't want to break it with the force they say to apply... hard to tell the exact point it releases).

The stealer (dealer) is about £100ph labour. I'm not paying £58 to a mechanic for such a simple job, and definitely not £100, so am considering alternatives.

Furthermore, I'm pretty certain there are many people who are able to turn their hands to complex mechanics who will come to market and put pricing/customer loss pressure on many existing repair garages. A thread suggesting tighter times came on to a car forum I visit recently. Someone floated the idea of helping one another in areas where you hold a skill with cars.. diagnostics, electrics, range of mechanical stuff, from simple changing pads and discs, to fitting new anti-roll bushes, to fitting cambelt and waterpump, in exchange for some beer-tokens, to quite a lot of enthusiasm. And there are lots of capable home mechanics who know how to do certain work to a high standard on that forum.

HAMISH_MCTAVISH

dopester wrote: »

People like Rictus still expecting BTL as the winning ticket for success and the thing to do in life tests my 'credit-revulsion' theory. With youngsters' eyes full of BTL dreaming, and not yet having felt any of the epic changes underway.

Although I did say credit-revulsion from those in a position to put some of their own money down and pass lenders borrowing qualification. Not the dreamers who don't have much of their own to put in to it, or those who banks don't fancy their employment prospects.

The credit revulsion theory is interesting dopester, but I just don't see it in real life. I do see credit rationing still occurring, and I expect this will be the case for a good few years yet, but no sign of people wanting to change their ways permanently.

Oh sure, people are spending less and paying down a bit more debt, like in all recessions, but eventually the tide will turn the other way. And I think that as with all things in this crash, personal debt deleveraging is being time compressed. Accelerated by low base rates allowing people to pay down debt much faster than in previous times.

The young people I know, much like Rictus, know full well that buying a house is important, that owning your own house is the best way to a secure future, and that opportunities exist today that haven't been seen in their adult lifetime.

The recovery of prices to within 7% or so of peak on average (FT Academetrics "poll of polls" index) is a devastating blow for those who want to see permanent change, or a wider revulsion of high prices and high mortgages. Prices are now back to the point where most buyers who bought in 2007 have lost nothing versus renting. Many have even gained, despite thier property still being worth slightly less.

And for those who "saw it coming" and delayed purchase from 2002, or 2004, or 2006, the news is even worse. Those people can never hope to reclaim the additional lifetime housing costs incurred through delaying purchase for so long.

If any lesson should be learned from this, it is absolutely clear that we must drum it into young peoples heads that p1ssing away their 20's partying their life away is a mistake, we should go back to the old values of buying young, and saving hard to make that happen.

The impoverished Generation Y type of crashaholics who wasted their 20's, and then expected a big crash to come along and save their bacon in their 30's, and were badly burned when it turned out they couldn't get a house for 50% off after all, will be glaring reminders to the young of tomorrow as to the foolhardiness of trying to game the system. And will provide an adequate revenue stream for the landlords of tomorrow as they are squeezed until their pips squeak for ever increasing rents well into their retirement.

HAMISH_MCTAVISH

dopester wrote: »

Entrepreneurship will bring forward new winners but increasingly those areas and opportunities will require you have the brain power to be hired by those new field companies.

I don't believe this is any different to previous times though. It's how society evolves, and always has been.

Whether you believe we can evolve further, and whether young people can adapt to the education and intelligence requirements of future work, really boils down to whether you think IQ is a product of nature or nurture. I'm inclined towards nurture in most cases, I think almost anyone can succeed given the tools of education and ambition.

As a society, we are far better placed than most with the capacity to educate and motivate our young. Yet the PC do-gooders, benefits society champions, and manual skills dinosaurs seem intent on dragging us backwards at every available turn.

If we succeed in instilling ambition, aspiration and education to our young, we will thrive. If we pander to mediocrity, we will fail.

The Tories have a lot of work to do. We will know soon enough if they deliver.

chucky

treliac wrote: »

The only way to cut down on BTL profiteering is for real growth in social housing, without restricting access to those with kids and on benefits.

it won't happen and for me isn't the complete answer - the answer is shared ownership.
it avoids the ghetto council estates where people have some responsibility to the area as they own it.

BTL serves a purpose. where would people live?

fc123

Interesting stuff here......I won't quote it all but I do see the difference with son and all his mates (both sexes) and some seem to be having a never ending gap year due to their parents (who are all very hard working) providing them with a nice living space (own large room, tv, permission to bring partners back etc).
We are a bit guilty too.

Some have left uni with OK quals and are just pottering around...and seem fairly happy to do so too. The parents seem to be OK with it too.

I have banned sofa surfing in our household post age 16.

Perhaps when things are too comfy, us humans just slack of a bit.

And just to post this on the thread I watched Kevin Mcleods Slumming it prog on 4OD .......a lot of it didn't sit well with me at all and I am quite a KM fan. Episode 2 was better but his wafting around the slums going on about flexible living space and 'being near to work'.....the workers stop work, clear up and sleep in the same space......it made me feel a bit....I can't think of the word.....made me feel not comfortable to be an observer.


And Rictus and his trade......having a single trade is OK if you want to tick over but adding to it and applying some thought on how to max it out is the key.

SingleSue

dopester wrote: »

Yes fc, hopefully he will finish his apprenticeship and qualify. There is always demand for those with a skill like building/ bricklayers.. I'm just unsure on the pay it will command into the future. Even then though, it might command a lot more pay, in adjusted terms, than in many other sectors.. such as those working in call-centres ect.

I think your nature is quite kind fc, to be positive for Rictus and play down the possible negatives, but despite him being 18ish.. I can't gloss over the difficulties ahead. It was his dreamy BTL ambitions that riled me into a reality response from my POV. It's not like I'm telling some youngster that Father Christmas isn't real.

People like Rictus still expecting BTL as the winning ticket for success and the thing to do in life tests my 'credit-revulsion' theory. With youngsters' eyes full of BTL dreaming, and not yet having felt any of the epic changes underway.

Although I did say credit-revulsion from those in a position to put some of their own money down and pass lenders borrowing qualification. Not the dreamers who don't have much of their own to put in to it, or those who banks don't fancy their employment prospects.

Sometimes I wonder if its all kids now think of doing from school:

Teacher: And what do you want to be when you grow up Josh?
Josh: I'm going to be a landlord Mrs Carolt, and own lots of flats and houses. Borrow lots of money and be really rich.
Teacher: Class, is there anyone else who plans to do this?
(Entire classroom of kids raise their hands)

My eldest has still not got a clue what he wants to do when he leaves education which is most frustrating for me and his teachers. I always knew exactly what I wanted to do on leaving school, right from the age of 5, so I find it rather perplexing.

He nows seems to be veering into the more written skills sector, journalist, author etc and has picked A levels which would suit this (by accident more than anything - Philosophy, English Lit, English Lan, Government and Politics), it's what his interest is and apparently, now where his strength is despite being dyslexic (in the last year, he has gone from a predicted E/F to a predicted A/B).

Middle son wants to work in IT or music.

Youngest wants to design and plan new buildings (you should see his presentation for an idea of a building designed to withstand a Tsunami).


Not one of them wants to be in BTL although all want to own their own home rather than renting and are prepared to work hard in life to get to that goal.

Mr.Brown_4

chucky wrote: »

it won't happen and for me isn't the complete answer - the answer is shared ownership.
it avoids the ghetto council estates where people have some responsibility to the area as they own it.

BTL serves a purpose. where would people live?

I would say the last ten years or so of new build estates, owned largely by absentee BTL landlords are the new ghettos.

treliac

dopester wrote: »

Sometimes I wonder if its all kids now think of doing from school:

Teacher: And what do you want to be when you grow up Josh?
Josh: I'm going to be a landlord Mrs Carolt, and own lots of flats and houses. Borrow lots of money and be really rich.
Teacher: Class, is there anyone else who plans to do this?
(Entire classroom of kids raise their hands)

Not quite..... at least 50% are going to be celebrities.