No option to buy? Single people

princeofpounds

littlemissbliss said:

I know - they shouldn't be forcing people together. Dating has pretty much been put on hold with Covid - but even so - you don't base a relationship on getting a property. Then you find many have their own properties so it wouldn't be mine. The dating situation can take time. At the moment I am just saving, as someone said earlier - the only benefit I have is being able to save

In the big wide world, property and relationships are often closely linked and part of the base for many relationships. In China, for example, a young man is traditionally not considered marriageable unless he owns a property. Even in the feminist urban West, it's something that often appears on people's mental checklists of desirable characteristics. 

But yes, I get what you're saying. There should be room for romance!

wannabe_a_saver

Angela_D_3 said:

mrseff_2 said:

littlemissbliss said:

Irishpearce26 said:

Sorry to hear you're struggling but positive you can save the amount you can which is great.

In the new world can you work from home permanently? Perhaps look at areas outside of Surrey that may open up more options. Set a limit on commuting which could be offset with some flexible working from home unless your job needs you to be in a certain place.

You know what businesses are like
Businesses should do this then everyone wouldn't have to live in the surrey area. My job has said we can be flexible and work part from home and part in the office. But I need more reassurance first. Also what if i lost my job - i would need to be able to get another in London (salary). Being a Graphic Designer everything is in London. I am from up north originally. I could buy a house from where i was born - but there are no jobs. 

I sympathise - also being single it's hard... Re your salary and london-centric location. I think you're a little behind the times with your view of the north - I have worked in creative design / design agencies in and around Manchester for 20 years - there's a thriving creative vibe / agency and otherwise - On my own team I have 6 graphic designers from 22 - 45 years old and salary ranging from 26k to 50k. If you can move (in the knowledge that there are jobs north of Watford ) you would be much better placed... Good luck!

Id actually suggest there’s more jobs in Manchester at the moment,  start ups are purposely choosing not to open in London for all of the reasons listed above.  Manchester is great value at the moment if you dont have to worry about schools 

I believe there are also schools in Manchester, believe it or not!

wannabe_a_saver

princeofpounds said:

littlemissbliss said:

I know - they shouldn't be forcing people together. Dating has pretty much been put on hold with Covid - but even so - you don't base a relationship on getting a property. Then you find many have their own properties so it wouldn't be mine. The dating situation can take time. At the moment I am just saving, as someone said earlier - the only benefit I have is being able to save

In the big wide world, property and relationships are often closely linked and part of the base for many relationships. In China, for example, a young man is traditionally not considered marriageable unless he owns a property. Even in the feminist urban West, it's something that often appears on people's mental checklists of desirable characteristics. 

But yes, I get what you're saying. There should be room for romance!

And some room for those who are perfectly happy staying single!  If the only reason you look for a relationship is to get a bigger budget for a house, then I expect the odds of that relationship working are pretty low and you lose the house anyway at some point down the line when you have to sell to split the equity.

L_T_88

littlemissbliss said:

In the London / Surrey area the housing association check with the council for those needing homes. Everyone fills in a form as to their circumstances. If there is a family or couple also applying, they will get first choice. 

This may well be true in many schemes which are delivered through Section 106, but not necessarily in that case or where HAs deliver the homes themselves.

For example, we were looking at a development in Horley, in our neighbouring borough but were down the list on the allocations policy (not strong enough connection, not on Housing List) which the Council had put in as part of the S.106.

We have now found a property in West Sussex, in another neighbouring borough. There are no allocations requirements set by the Local Authority as part of the S.106.

Find out what your Local Authority's (LB of Kingston?) allocations policy is. For your wage you can join the Council's Housing List, it's unlikely you'll ever be offered a social rent home through it, but may bump you up the priority list when competing for an SO home compared to someone else not on a Housing List.

I would also consider moving further out into Surrey or Sussex. Surbiton is still in a London Borough and prices reflect that. 

Indigo_and_Violet

I think it's been mentioned before, but I do think you could push yourself a bit more on the saving. 
£37k translates to about £2,400 per month, so you're currently spending £1,700 and saving £700.
Lots of advice on these boards about how to cut down your outgoings and increase your income.
As someone who took a paycut later in life I know it's hard when you feel like you've got to a particular age and you deserve to be able to have a few treats and buy things from the same shops all your friends do, but for the next 12-18 months you've effectively got double housing costs (rent and deposit saving) and being able to hunker down and build that deposit will make a big difference to your financial position in the longer term. 

FTB_Help

Wow! It's toxic on this thread, best put on a hazmat suit while im here.

Getting major throw back to 15yrs ago at my all girls school!

@littlemissbliss all i can advice is just keep saving, keep looking for ways to cut back on something, whether it's switching to a cheaper mobile, shopping in lidl basic, or even cancelling some of your streaming subscriptions.

Yes you could have probably been better with your finances in the past but whats the point in telling you something you can't change.

Just keep going, you'll get there in the end.

wannabe_a_saver

Indigo_and_Violet said:

I think it's been mentioned before, but I do think you could push yourself a bit more on the saving. 
£37k translates to about £2,400 per month, 

Not if you have student loan repayments and a pension it doesn't! 

MovingForwards

I'm also a late starter having walked away from a relationship.

It takes time to save up the money and many of us do move further away to areas we can afford. I looked upto 90 minutes away from where I work and my friends live, then whittled the areas down based on commute costs. 

[Deleted User]

FTB_Help said:

Wow! It's toxic on this thread, best put on a hazmat suit while im here.

Getting major throw back to 15yrs ago at my all girls school!

@littlemissbliss all i can advice is just keep saving, keep looking for ways to cut back on something, whether it's switching to a cheaper mobile, shopping in lidl basic, or even cancelling some of your streaming subscriptions.

Yes you could have probably been better with your finances in the past but whats the point in telling you something you can't change.

Just keep going, you'll get there in the end.

Agree. Although most responses are helpful, there are a few that show a remarkable lack of empathy for the OP and her situation. 

@littlemissbliss - Only you know your financial situation but it might be worth going through and seeing where you can make cutbacks (if indeed, you can). I've realised that I really don't need much to live off - food, petrol, rent and bills. Cutting back on all the non-essentials can make a remarkable difference over the course of a couple of years. Good luck!

Falafels

If you need to be commutable to London, have you looked at East Sussex and Kent?

Alternatively, there ARE graphic design jobs in the Midlands and further north, and literally hundreds of affordable properties even if you have to take a lower salary. It can be difficult moving to a new area on your own, but (speaking as a former Londoner who moved to Brum in the 1980's because we could afford a house there!) people on the whole are much friendlier, and it's very much easier to meet people as a stranger once you get outside the South East.

Good luck with all this!