Preparedness for when

pineapple

I'm glad I bought at the start of my working life. We did without while others were 'living it large'. But imo it paid off. If we hadn't been pushing ourselves with a mortgage, that money would just have been spent. It enabled me to sell up and have a 'mid life crisis overseas break' on the proceeds for one whole year. In fact I got back on the house buying bandwagon then 3 years later did it all again - with the help of some profit and a modestly paid overseas job for part of that time.
I did rent for brief 'settling back' periods..But as a confirmed capitalist home owner, I remember it feeling strange when I returned from my hols once to find the landlord had painted the front door. A small thing and a nice thing but it still felt uncomfortable.
Just lately I sold up and tried renting again. But I was shelling out £450 squid a month on a retirement income while the real value of my small profit from the sale dwindled by the hour. So I bit the bullet and bought a knock down house for a knock down price. And here I am again..
It's a hovel but it's my own mortgage free hovel. I can knock seven bells out of a wall, decorate any which way I want and let the dog out in the garden for a pee - without worrying about my deposit or the landlord looking over my shoulder.
Even better I am no longer parting with big chunk of monthly dosh to line the pockets of my millionaire ex landlord. Plus it has given pineapple a 'project' to keep her mind active in her latter years
.

fuddle

Grump. I think some of us were born just a little too late with regard to property buying. We've mucked up financially as well, which hasn't helped, but things are as they are. I'll take our lot and even the negative and hurtful stuff has had a good effect on us personally and as a family.

Now I'm back up North I would be looking at properties from about £80 000 to £110 000 so that £47K figure for rent payments is somewhat shocking for me, personally. I wouldn't be thinking of half a million properties and wonder what in my posting these years would make someone assume I would :eek:

I'm with you Mar I just don't think a mortgage would help with my stability feelings. It's took a long time to get to that point (some of it wanting kudos back too ) And er, I'm done with trying to plan life :rotfl:

mardatha

I do hate private lets, I think the whole concept should be illegal. These landlords are charging whatever the hell they like and some doing very little in the way of repairs, but the govt never says a word about them - instead concentrates on cutting back benefits. Housing Benefit would be halved overnight if they made these people drop their rents! They buy whole streets of ex-council houses dirt cheap then charge very high rent. That's a huge shame to this country and is never mentioned.
I've been very lucky and I know it. Had good houses and easy going councils, had any amount of pets, painted my front door any colour I liked, removed internal doors & knocked walls down. The Borders has very low population density- so when you deal with the HA or the Council they are pleasant and cheerful, because the great unwashed hasn't got at them so much
But, to get back on topic, once the SHTF who is gonny care what colour their front door is anyway :rotfl::rotfl:

Doveling

When we came to look at our current house (now don't think I'm totally bonkers ) I felt as though someone was putting their arm round my shoulder and hugging me. I promptly burst into tears and told Mr. Doveling that I needed to live here.

Nothing spooky has ever happened, I just feel sort of warm and glowy when I'm at home Just tuned in.

I think there can be a big difference between "place of origin" and "home" or you may always feel they are the same thing. My woolly thinking again

OK I can admit to being a bit bonkers :rotfl:

Nargleblast

I'm with you on that, mardatha, I know there are some decent private landlords around, and I understand some folk investing in buy to let property to give them a reliable source of income in retirement, but there are also a lot of thieving exploiters as well. It is a bit like council run care homes being sold off to private companies. When a private company is involved the first priority is profit.

If I ruled the world, all rental properties and care homes would be owned and managed by the State. Likewise all the utilities. And I would have legislation in place to make the State accountable to the people.

Does that make me sound like a Communist? I think we should all take responsibility for our own health and lives, but certain things I think should be State-run and paid for by everybody through taxation. Even those on limited incomes should pay a token amount towards public services and take responsibility for using them properly.

Better get off the soapbox to give someone else a turn.

[Deleted User]

I so know that feeling DOVELING, we viewed a house not too far from here in another village and as I walked through the door for the first time I felt exactly that, the house welcomed me in and gave me a hug like a friend who'd been waiting for me to arrive. It got stronger as a feeling as we went round the property and we loved it and knew we wanted to live there, unfortunately about an hour after we got home we rang the estate agent who had the property on their books to say yes we'd love to buy the house, full price, no haggling and he'd been in process of ringing us to apologise because the owners had seen their house through our eyes and decided they couldn't move and taken it off the market. I drive past it fairly often on the way to other places and still feel that little point of warmth as I go by and we're happy enough here.

pineapple

mardatha wrote: »

But, to get back on topic, once the SHTF who is gonny care what colour their front door is anyway :rotfl::rotfl:

For me the issue was not one of colour but of control. Someone else had interfered with my home.
But yes my private millionaire landlord was not all that when it came to repairs. The old wood windows were shot - with permanent dirt and moisture inside the double glazing and once open you couldn't shut them. When I arrived I was told that new windows were on order. Apparently they say that to each new tenant..
It was semi furnished but I lived for months with no freezer - fortunately the 'fridge' froze everything . The shower when in use would somehow send water through the liviing room ceiling. I had such little confidence that the damage wouldn't be put down to me, that I quietly patched up the ceiling and left without mentioning it:rotfl:.
The most interesting feature however was that somewhere by the guttering there was a hole in the roof down which birds would regularly fall - down through the cavity wall and into a kitchen cupboard !!!!!!. The first time a flippin great crow burst into the kitchen from behind a loose plinth it was somewhat disconcerting. Mice would also appear from behind another loose plinth. It's a wonder I wasn't charged extra for the wildlife show.

Doveling

We are accidental landlords. Don't hate me Moved for work and decided to keep the other house for retirement pension plan. I don't understand how people can let a major asset become run down let alone renege on the moral obligation after taking the rent.

I agree about the state being in control of the country's utilities and infrastructure. I also think that contracts should be given to British companies first. I don't understand the machinations of government at all and only have a simplistic view of things.

Sums me up. Bit simple! :rotfl:

fuddle

I lived in some private rentals with LL's who just beggar believe and others who were fantastic. Letting Agents though... don't get me started :mad:

ivyleaf

Doveling wrote: »

When we came to look at our current house (now don't think I'm totally bonkers ) I felt as though someone was putting their arm round my shoulder and hugging me. I promptly burst into tears and told Mr. Doveling that I needed to live here.

Nothing spooky has ever happened, I just feel sort of warm and glowy when I'm at home Just tuned in.

I think there can be a big difference between "place of origin" and "home" or you may always feel they are the same thing. My woolly thinking again

OK I can admit to being a bit bonkers :rotfl:

How lovely Doveling I remember when DD2 was househunting, I told her she'd know when she found the right house because when they walked in for the first time it would feel like coming home. That was what happened when we viewed this one

Mrs LW What a shame you missed out on that house, but as you say, at least you're happy enough where you are.