Friend is buying house in a rough area.

C_Mababejive

Maybe the Police could go take a look and clean the area up..or maybe the Local authority could adopt a....now what do they call it... A multi disciplinary approach to anti social behaviour in the area...blah blah blah..

boliston

I think each person has their own idea of what constitutes a "nice" area.

I live in a flat on a busy road with lots of takeaways, pubs etc which a lot of people would simply hate.

Some people like quiet residential roads but I just prefer to have convenience over peace and quiet.

nightwatchman

LOL….. during my student years my dream accommodation would have to be over a pub & next to the kebab shop.
Now though as I have a little 2 year old I prefer the quite residential area.
Is not only safer for the little one, but is also easier to carry the mountain of groceries we now need in the house, as the off road parking is convenient.

FATBALLZ

andykn wrote: »

It's a sign of the bizarre expectations when a 3 bedroom house (bigger than many people will ever live in) is seen as a first time buyer property. And can't save more than 2k out of a combined income of 50k.

And what's "bad" about the area anyway? Malaria? Prone to flooding? Earthquake risk?

Or just the people that live there?

It's not really bizarre considering that the age of FTBs has increased significantly over the years. By the time people manage to save up a deposit they need the space of a 3 bed semi - according to the BBC the average age of FTBs who do not get parental help is now 37, by which point most people who will have kids in their lifetime will have had them all.

tootsieroll_2

It's a tough one, isn't it? When we were buying our house a few years ago, friends and family tried to deter us from buying where we did because they deemed the area to be "rough." Now, I don't know the area you're describing, so you very well may have realistic worries. In our case though, it was simply a prejudice against where we were buying as it was a few towns over from where they all stayed.

We saved £30,000 by buying our house in a neighbouring town instead of where they all stayed. And you know what? The area is actually less "rough" than where we used to stay nearer to family and friends. We love the area and the house and have no real regrets. However, what does really annoy us is that the family still look down their noses at where we stay and have no reason to.

Is your friend prepared to live in an area that others will automatically assume is a bad one? It's difficult to say where you stay if you're embarrassed by its reputation.

I think you need to let them make their own decisions and to be careful about how much advice you give, no matter how well meaning it is. You could do as others have pointed out, by suggesting to wait until after the elections. I would personally avoid a new build, no matter how enticing the homebuy offer may be. Will they be able to afford the loan when it comes time? Only they can make that decision. What you could maybe point out is that all that money in the loan they're taking could be saved up over time and used to make an older home their dream home. We've decided to stay put and do up our house into our dream house - ok it'll take 5-10 years, but so what?

doire_2

Tell him to buy right away. House prices only go one way....UP! It doesn't matter if IR are low now....they are going to stay low forever! He works as a teacher? No worries....the public sector are immune from government cuts! Eeven better get him to ring nollag who will tell him he needs to be quick as the next crash is 14.5 years away!

Harry_Powell

doire wrote: »

Tell him to buy right away. House prices only go one way....UP! It doesn't matter if IR are low now....they are going to stay low forever! He works as a teacher? No worries....the public sector are immune from government cuts! Eeven better get him to ring nollag who will tell him he needs to be quick as the next crash is 14.5 years away!

It seems to me that it's a bit off to pursue a private vendetta on a thread created by a non-regular who came here asking for advice (however misguided that may have been on this particular forum). There are plenty of "I hate this particular poster" threads available for you to have a go at your blood enemy without fouling up someone's cry for help thread.

IMHO.

Mr_Matey

nightwatchman wrote: »

Now the bad part……
The property is situated in the Lodge road in Birmingham, a stone throw away from the prison……
As a special constable I spent some time serving in the area & I am telling you…… is really bad.

If it were my best friend I'd voice my concerns over the area, but you might want to steer clear of arguing against their decision to buy or the rent-to-buy schemes.

A few anecdotes from your time working in the area may persuade them to look at other areas.

dwichmann

these home buy schemes are the new 100% deposits. People will pay whatever necessary becuase its the only way they can see themselves owning a house.

doire_2

Harry_Powell wrote: »

It seems to me that it's a bit off to pursue a private vendetta on a thread created by a non-regular who came here asking for advice (however misguided that may have been on this particular forum). There are plenty of "I hate this particular poster" threads available for you to have a go at your blood enemy without fouling up someone's cry for help thread.

IMHO.

Only the last line is having a go at nollag.