The mad scramble to get a family house in spring

[Deleted User]

Sold boards have been going up in my area and there is a shortage of good family homes in the catchment area of our fantastic local comp.

I am sure that there will be a mad rush to get a family house in the spring. It isn`t the sort of area where there are blocks of flats full of 1-2 bed apartments. The doom and gloom merchants are obviously not differentiating between areas and types of property

:wave:

gingin_2

What is the population of the catchment area, 30-50,000?, you are talking about one small specific area. Doesn't the UK have a population of 50mil+? Family homes near our catchment school are sticking on the market, I will be amazed if there is any great "spring bounce".

We were going to be spring first time buyers (looking for a family home in a good catchment area) but will leave it at least 18 months now to see where prices go, given all the hype we have been reading in the press and husband has been experiencing at work, we would be fools to rush in now.

Biggie

here in London an area of NW London.

Family homes are still being snaped up quite quickly if they resonabily priced for the area. They are old establised houses not new builds. Though houses are no longer going for asking price.

but they are still selling very quickly in deed.

Dreaming_Silver

I'm in the same position as gingin - FTB who was intending to buy around now but instead I'm going to wait and see what the market does. I very much doubt I'm going to be buying in spring.

Where is your local area kittie? I would expect that even though prices may be holding up now, there will be ripple effects when nearby areas fall in value.

(although as you say school catchment areas are always important)

meanmachine_2

Spam posting from Kittie?

Seems pointless to me.

Nice homes in nice areas will always sell. Just don't expect to sell them for X amount more than last year.

That's obvious.

[Deleted User]

eh spam?? me?? what would I spam about? I have nothing to do with selling or buying houses but I am an observant, objective onlooker

prices in the local area are not going down at all. Terraced houses I passed this morning have now got sold boards up. We are definitely not talking `posh` area here but then again it is a different school catchment but another good school.

meanmachine_2

Well, maybe rather than just walking around you should actually try buying somewhere.

I was looking to purchase in the last few weeks, but EAs were so desperate for business and sellers so desperate for any offer, I thought better.

and that's SW London, by the way.

Oh, and in the area I actually live in, there are sold signs everywhere. Only trouble is, they're the same sold signs that have been up for 6 MONTHS.

The houses that are actually up for sale don't have signs. There'd be far too many.

Conrad

Well I live in the catchment area of a top 50 infants school within striking distance of London and there are perfect choclate box cottages up for sale - have been for months.

So much for a shortage of property!

Cant see more than a 5% price fall in 2008 though and if rates go down (which they will) the prices could well rise again.

You use the term 'doom and gloom', but why? Will you call your children gloomy for wishing it wasnt so hard to get on the property ladder when thier turn comes, or will you be glad for them to pay a huge amount for a home?

jonewer

There is no shortage of property!

There are over 800,000 empty properties in the UK and rightmove alone has almost a million properties for sale.

Only in the UK where people's perception of property are so thouroughly perverted could anyone claim that there is a housing shortage!

hermoine_2

Don't know what the objective of this thread is but for what it is worth my house has been on the market at a price for quick sale since July!!!

We have had 2 offers which were frankly just chancers. Not very many viewings lately either.

We are in the South West of England.

H

jonewer

hermoine - can you give us some details of what the ask/offers were?