**Don't Buy A House** House Prices Set To Crash!!!

dougk_2

Bridiej,
I agree with you 100%.

Also if you compare between now and say the 70's/80's people did not have the following which all cost money and "increase the price of living":

Home telephone lines (Yes many people did not have them!)
Mobile phones (easy to spend £50+ month on this)
Sat. / Cable TV (easy to spend £40+ a month on this)
Internet acces (easy to spend £20 or £30 a month on this)
Expensive Cars (cars were not owned by everyone and certainly not normal for 2/3 car families)
Designer Clothes (these were bought only by the rich!)
Entertainment Centres/ Big TV's - (most had a single TV in a household...often B&W!)

Lifestyles have changed and expectations of people have risen.

If people went back to basics they would have more than enough for housing.

nelly_2

why would anyone give up all them things just to sit in a room, that they own and stare at the walls.

dougk_2

Because none of them are a requirement of a happy, safe and enjoyable life?????????

Unless of course you are a cosmetic and material type of person and need to keep up with the jones'

I'm not saying you have to give them all up... just do you need them all and do you need a 48" TV when a 24" one for £150 is good enough? Other people and social interaction are free and the best form of stimulation and enjoyment.

Its all a case of the spend now and forget the future culture - a house is a long term thing.

bridiej

Ditto what Doug said.

When I first bought a house I had second hand everything and hand me downs from family / friends and slowly replaced things as I went.

These days people want to move into their house and buy nice new leather settees, large TV, have Sky Sports and go out every Friday and Saturday night with their mates and spend a fortune, oh and not forgetting at least one holiday a year.

Unfortunately you can't do that (unless you win the lottery of course) but no one seems to want to sacrifice anything and they just moan about how they can't afford to get on the property ladder.

frugal_dougal_3

bridiej wrote:

Ditto what Doug said.

When I first bought a house I had second hand everything and hand me downs from family / friends and slowly replaced things as I went.

Me too ! And went to the boss and begged for overtime.

Worked 16 hours sometimes.

Perhaps they could get a second job instead of watching their plasma screen.

nelly_2

Well dont you think there is a reason all of these things have come about or been invented? Its cos that romantic little view of life round the wierless or piano every night was wrist slashingly boring.

And what is not long term about tv's internet phones etc etc we all replace them when they break.

And people moan about not being able to get on the property ladder and have the comforts of life is purely because of the massively over priced housing market, if they wernt so dear then a lot of people could have both and whats wrong with that?

People dont moan about the price of an expensive holliday because they simply dont need to go on one.

They do moan about expensive housing because they feel it is something they really NEED.

Although thats changing.

The prices a causing people to realise that "Owning" a house is not the be all and end all of life.

A lot of people are quite able to buy a house but refuse to pay what people are asking, There are 3 couples with that attitude in my imediate group of friends and we each know a few more at the various places we all work too.

None of are skint were all just putting two fingers up to the people who are trying to rip us off.

The only busy people in the housing market in my area are the lads who errect the "for sale" signs in the garden, their flying up every where.

dougk_2

Most of these things have been invented because people are becoming LAZY!

Tv's, phones etc are cheap to buy - but expensive to maintain and run!

Younger people are not buying houses becuae they are frightened of commitment and do not see any point in looking forwrad more than 2 years! The "fun" factor is more important than the future.

Give me a piano or a wirleless over going out and getting drunking and feeling ill the next day (oh and not even remembering what you did).

Fine don't buy a house, I'll buy another one and rent it to you so I earn a pretty packet as the mortgage is less than the rent I will get and you pay all the bills except the building maintenance.

I suspect if you ask most of the people who are selling they are buying another house - they are not getting off the ladder. Myself and some of my group of friends are actually selling to buy bigger properties for more money.

People don't moan about holidays, not because they don't need to go on one, but because £2k or £3k sounds very little to them and they can put it on a credit card or get a loan to cover it.

I don't see say £200k as a rip off for a house, but I do consider £20k a rip off for a car!
I would rather have one house than 10 cars.

Oh and while you are thinking boring old sod , I'm only just in my 30's. Difference is I learnt the value of money when I was very young and know how to spend it wisely (hopefully!). Advice I would give everyone is the only thing you should borrow money for is a house. Everything else is NOT needed and is a luxury.

nelly_2

Well I am quite happy to have a different outlook on life. In the last 14 months we have been to Florida for 3 weeks, China for 2 weeks Paris, Spain and Canada and America again, the last trip to America was purely and simply to go on a roller coaster.

Read about that here if you want, ---> http://www.rccgb.co.uk/forums/index.php?showtopic=1443

What I am saying is having fun and seeing the world is much more important to me than owning a house. The total cost of all these trips was £16500, and we are both much happier to have spent it on that than a deposit 2 bed terraced for £150 grand

Because house prices a ridiculously high people are put off the idea and doing other stuff with their money.

frugal_dougal_3

nelly wrote:

What I am saying is having fun and seeing the world is much more important to me than owning a house. The total cost of all these trips was £16500, and we are both much happier to have spent it on that than a deposit 2 bed terraced for £150 grand

Because house prices a ridiculously high people are put off the idea and doing other stuff with their money.

Well that's absolutely your choice.

The point I was trying to make is that buying your first house has NEVER been easy. The modern FTB' ers are no worse off than I was.

I chose to go without the material goodies. You are choosing to have them.

We are all happy aren't we ?

dougk_2

You are entitled to your own views :-)

I like holidays too, and I normally have 3 or 4 a year, but i do it without spending too much. I think £1k a year can provide a good 2 or 3 weeks away for the 2 of us. Can't go away for more than 4 weeks in a year as thats all the holiday from work I get! I much prefer shorter 3 or 4 day short breaks.

Florida I done in 2002 for under £800 including visiting (9 theme parks, space centre, daytona etc) In fact 6 of us went for 3 weeks for £3k inclusive of everything.

The whole idea of this site is Money Saving not Money Spending!

I hope everything works out, but wonder if you will regret it in 20 years time when you haven't your own house (as prices keep increasing) and you keep moving from one rented house to another - each to their own :-)

I am proud of being a house owner and get more satisfaction out of being able to show people what I have achieved within the house (DIY stuff etc). This is as rewarding and satisfying to me as a roller-coaster ride (I hate heights!!!!)