London is a joke (moan)

zarf2007

Keep singing to yourself "reality used to be a friend of mine".

Tbh people earning over £100k would struggle to buy something decent so you have no chance.

SuzieSue

I would have liked to live nearer my work and family when I bought 20 years ago, but it wasn't possible if I wanted anything more than a one bedroom flat, so I moved just outside the M25.

If you don't want a pokey studio flat then you will need to move to a less desirable area of London or move to the Home Counties or even further out. It has been like this for decades but unless you are wealthy you can't live where you would like to live, just as you can't buy an Aston Martin no matter how much you would like one.

Cornucopia

benn25 wrote: »

Ill tell you what...London postcode prices are !!!!ing me right off...

Where are you looking and where do you need to commute to? Where are you living at the moment?

Some of us have a lot of experience of London & Home Counties property, and can possibly suggest some more options.

chalkie99

benn25 wrote: »

It literally killed me.

Ah! Problem solved then.

:A

[Deleted User]

You are being a tad dramatic. Not being able to buy in London will not literally kill you, it will inconvenience you.

You do not have to live near to work to survive. Or live on your family's doorstep.., you can commute there too! With a two bed, you can have friends and family stay if you want to.

You can do as many have done, defeat the odds and move out of London and buy a nice place. Where I live in Gravesend, there's a 16 minute commute to Kings Cross St Pancras. Buying a 2 bed house/flat would be possible here. Although yes, fares would knock a hole in affordabiity calculations. But a 2 bed place would allow you to have a lodger, which will help.

You will only be defeated if you choose to be.., and it looks like that's the way you are going by restricting your choices.

andyfromotley

I keep wondering who will do all of the lower paid jobs when people can't afford to live there?

But somehow they keep finding people prepared to make horrific and expensive commutes which eat into their time and money, and leave them with a fairy miserable lot.

I moaned about this when i lived in the burbs in the 90's, i keep thinking it can't go on, but it does, relentlessly.

audigex

I do agree that London is silly - I have no idea who works in shops etc, as even the rents seem astonishingly high.

Move to the North, your £180k will get you a modern 3 bedroom detached house near where I live. Or that 2 bedroom flat you've been looking for will set you back £50k, or perhaps £60k if you want one that's a tad bigger and better decorated. Settle for a 1 bedroom and you can get one for £40k....

Or if sir would prefer a house, 2 bed terraces start at £50k, with a 3 bed semi starting at £80k (a nicer one being £110-150k). Stay in that house for a few years and for £240k you can have a 4 bedroom detatched house on the beach, including sea view, conservatory, double garage and large garden, or being more sensible get a 4 bed semi for £210k.

Bonuses include the almost complete lack of serious crime, the ability to drive across town in a few minutes without traffic, the Lake District within a 20 minute drive, beaches within walking distance, £2 pints, and people at the bus stop who would rather chat with you than stab you.

Let's face it, London is just a ridiculous idea in general. When the price of a 2 bedroom flat could buy you a very nice 4 bedroom detached house in another area, something is badly wrong.

I understand it's not as easy as "Move somewhere cheaper" but frankly if you can't support the life you'd like in London, it becomes a tradeoff. What's more important to you?

gazter

zarf2007 wrote: »

Keep singing to yourself "reality used to be a friend of mine".

Tbh people earning over £100k would struggle to buy something decent so you have no chance.

There are vast areas of the UK, in which earning 100k allows you to live like a king, but as you say, London is not one of them.

I would guess £100k allows you to live comfortable, but buying a home that would be considered reasonable elsewhere would, crazy as it seems, be a touch of a struggle.

mufi

benn25 wrote: »

Why do people say that?

I dont want to move. My work is here. My friends are here. Im closer to my family and I moved down to better my life.

Because it's a fact, and always has been.


In 1973 I had a choice: stay in London, where I was born, but be unable to buy a house/flat, or move out. I moved out, as did everyone I knew, and bought. 'Twas ever thus.


In what way is your life "bettered" by staying in London?

Pixie5740

andyfromotley wrote: »

I keep wondering who will do all of the lower paid jobs when people can't afford to live there?

The migrant workers who come to the UK and live in absolute hovels with 8 sharing a tiny room, that's who will continue to do the lower paid jobs. It's horrible that slum landlords will take advantage of them and charge money for allowing them to live in dangerous conditions.

OP, you just need to cut your cloth accordingly. Look on the bright side, you can afford a studio, many working in London can't even afford that.

I recently saw a small flat for sale near me in Aberdeen (about 32 sq m) and I actually considered buying it because the current owners had used the space in such a clever way to really make the most of it. Not to mention that the more space you have, the more crap you're likely to buy to fill the space. Silver linings everywhere.