Is it really that hard?

Carl31

ukcarper wrote: »

Personally I think it is to difficult to compare especially if you go back the 40 years the OP did. Things have changed so much over those years people leave full time education later, get married later, food is considerably cheaper while house prices are higher. People have higher expectations now, true people spend more money on luxuries now but then lots of those luxuries weren't available 40 years ago. I think the recent price increases have priced some people out. But the thing that I get fed up is people telling me how easy I had when I first bought when I can assure I didn't.

The luxuries of yester year were far more expensive by equivalent too. I remember our phone bill at home being over £80 a month about 25 years ago, thats more than 2xmobile phone contracts now, factor in the TDM, and thats much more expensive, yet people still had phones. Someone on here said once that video recordeds were the equivalent of £2k in todays money when they first came out, and people had those. Its very convenient to forget these things when ridiculing the youth for their supposed failures

Cornucopia

I don't think anyone is trying to "ridicule the youth for their supposed failures".

What we are saying (some of us) is:-

a) There are ways to afford to buy property by being more flexible. Being unrealistic doesn't help.

b) It isn't the fault of previous generations, and it is unfair to say it is.

c) As a general rule of life, it is better to act positively than to waste time and effort whinging.

Samsonite1

Exactly, I am saying that nobody has to pay for luxuries and that could be the difference between buying a house or not. It is a choice, people have more choice today and it requires more will power perhaps, but I don't want to see someone in the news being interviewed about how hard it is to get on the property ladder as they drive off in their HP Mini Cooper, blasting out tunes from their iPhone. Not to mention, spending £1k per month on booze/going out... just saying.

ukcarper

Carl31 wrote: »

The luxuries of yester year were far more expensive by equivalent too. I remember our phone bill at home being over £80 a month about 25 years ago, thats more than 2xmobile phone contracts now, factor in the TDM, and thats much more expensive, yet people still had phones. Someone on here said once that video recordeds were the equivalent of £2k in todays money when they first came out, and people had those. Its very convenient to forget these things when ridiculing the youth for their supposed failures

But when did they buy them. When I first moved into my first house I didn't have a phone, TV or carpets. Apart from a bed and table both wedding presents all my furniture was second hand. The only luxury I had was a stereo which I bought before I started saving for house.

princeofpounds

To me, he is grieving. Grieving for what he thinks he should be able to afford but can't. Grieving for the fact his parents are asset rich but cash poor so can't help him out....well, not exactly, but they both want to retire in their 50s so are hoarding their cash.

OK fine, you know him, we don't, so the emotional content doesn't translate.


Still think Gravesend is not a great idea.

Graham_Devon

Ahhh iPhones. No one ever had anything before the iPhone.

Well, apart from a tin bath and last months hand me down newspaper to wipe their arises on.

No one smoked. No one drank. No one went out. Fish and chips wrapped in the old newspaper? Codswallap - no one ever bought a takeaway. No one rented a VCR (or a video to play in it)...nor a TV..... The stackable hifi is a mere figment of the imagination.... record shops never sold a single record (no wonder Our Price went bust). Draft excluders were disguised as catologues....clearly no one ever bough anything on credit from the Little woods catalogue.

Pubs, Discotheques....no one ever went inside of one, they were mere tax shelters....afterall, no one ever went out.....

......they were far too busy welding the latest hole in the 600 year old tin bath.

dktreesea

ukcarper wrote: »

Personally I think it is to difficult to compare especially if you go back the 40 years the OP did. Things have changed so much over those years people leave full time education later, get married later, food is considerably cheaper while house prices are higher. People have higher expectations now, true people spend more money on luxuries now but then lots of those luxuries weren't available 40 years ago. I think the recent price increases have priced some people out. But the thing that I get fed up with is people telling me how easy I had when I first bought when I can assure I them didn't.

London aside, if you look at what kind of a house you bought as a first time buyer and where it was situated compared to the nearest town and your work, plus how old you were when you bought your first house, is today much different to back then? It could even be easier now then back then. Interest rates are lower and mortgage finance seems a lot easier to get than it was when we bought our first place, even with two of us earning.


This house, just up the road from Manchester, I can afford now, even though I don't have a high paying job anymore, but I couldn't have afforded it when i was just starting out:


http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-50017393.html


I'm looking at this place and thinking "Wow!, I would have loved to be able to afford this as a first time home."

Samsonite1

Graham_Devon wrote: »

Ahhh iPhones. No one ever had anything before the iPhone.

Well, apart from a tin bath and last months hand me down newspaper to wipe their arises on.

No one smoked. No one drank. No one went out. Fish and chips wrapped in the old newspaper? Codswallap - no one ever bought a takeaway. No one rented a VCR (or a video to play in it)...nor a TV..... The stackable hifi is a mere figment of the imagination.... record shops never sold a single record (no wonder Our Price went bust). Draft excluders were disguised as catologues....clearly no one ever bough anything on credit from the Little woods catalogue.

Pubs, Discotheques....no one ever went inside of one, they were mere tax shelters....afterall, no one ever went out.....

......they were far too busy welding the latest hole in the 600 year old tin bath.

And people still live in council houses - choices. Not sure what points you are making - luxuries have always existed. I am making the point that it is harder to buy a house, but people are not willing to give up luxuries to have more money for a house. There are too many flaws in your sarcastic argument, it is not worth it.

lisyloo

I don't know the area at all, but my thoughts on a £55K 3-bed property are that there must be something wrong - either with the property or with the area. That seems out of line even for the North.

ukcarper

dktreesea wrote: »

London aside, if you look at what kind of a house you bought as a first time buyer and where it was situated compared to the nearest town and your work, plus how old you were when you bought your first house, is today much different to back then? It could even be easier now then back then. Interest rates are lower and mortgage finance seems a lot easier to get than it was when we bought our first place, even with two of us earning.


This house, just up the road from Manchester, I can afford now, even though I don't have a high paying job anymore, but I couldn't have afforded it when i was just starting out:


http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-50017393.html


I'm looking at this place and thinking "Wow!, I would have loved to be able to afford this as a first time home."

I live in the South East and had to move and commute to buy in 70s if I was in the same position now as I was then I don't think I could buy the same house I did then but I would still be able to buy but it would be a smaller property.

This is the cheapest house were I was living when I first bought ex council http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-51069434.html. A 4 bed detached in my nice Cul de sac has just sold for £350k