Was it the "Nice Decade"?

MrSafeGaz

I think it was a very nice decade if you were the right age. Property has allowed alot of 'ordinary' people to become wealthy over the last 10 years. Put those people in todays scenario and they might struggle. Its a little frustrating that these people are far better off than they would be now simply because they were born a little bit earlier If I was where I am now 5 years ago I would have been laughing, instead, I am now at an age (26) where I should be able to get my own place but can't really justify it whilst the market is in the shape it is.

I don't dwell upon it too much but thinking about it, I do think people 5-10 years older than me were very lucky even if they did not know it at the time.

LillyJ

morg_monster wrote: »

LillyJ, just to point out, i do know that here in the UK we are bloody lucky relatively speaking compared to other countries, and that I am lucky compared to many people in this country. I'm not stupid.
But I really hate it when people say that as if it precludes us from moaning about anything at all! The only people I have spoken to about what I wrote in that post is my OH and now in this forum... its not as if I go around whinging about it to all and sundry! I just thought I would say honestly how I felt about this particular situation, right at that point, even if it wasn't all sweetness and light, I just wanted to be honest. That was what the OP was about, wasn't it? Sorry if it makes me sound ungrateful.

That's fine I just think that sometimes people need a little perspective on things. I got mine (in a pretty horrid way) when my Mum became very ill in her late 40s earlier this year. I thought she was going to die. My Mum is my best friend. I suppose this made the housing market become less of a "life or death" issue for me.

PS I never said you were stupid

MrSafeGaz

LillyJ wrote: »

That's fine I just think that sometimes people need a little perspective on things. I got mine (in a pretty horrid way) when my Mum became very ill in her late 40s earlier this year. I thought she was going to die. My Mum is my best friend. I suppose this made the housing market become less of a "life or death" issue for me.

PS I never said you were stupid

I guess its horses for courses but I don't really see how the two events in your post are related. I don't think that a house is 'life or death' but it certainly has a large impact on the life part. It is by far the biggest financial commitment in the majority of peoples lives and they are commited to this purchase for somewhere between a quarter and a third of their lifetimes.

Illnesses to loved ones are sad but I can't imagine if this happened to me in the near future I would suddenly think, "right, forget all financial logic, I am going to buy a house in a falling, unstable market". Not owning a house does not stop you living your life well.

LillyJ

MrSafeGaz wrote: »

I guess its horses for courses but I don't really see how the two events in your post are related. I don't think that a house is 'life or death' but it certainly has a large impact on the life part. It is by far the biggest financial commitment in the majority of peoples lives and they are commited to this purchase for somewhere between a quarter and a third of their lifetimes.

Illnesses to loved ones are sad but I can't imagine if this happened to me in the near future I would suddenly think, "right, forget all financial logic, I am going to buy a house in a falling, unstable market". Not owning a house does not stop you living your life well.

Well it is related for me. The things that were important to me when Mum was ill were memories of us in the family house. It was stability, a base and a home. I am fed up with renting for 7 years, and keep having to move which I hate. I don't save any money on rent as my mortgage repayments will be the same. I want my kids to have the same stability that I had and to me that is more important than the paper value of said home.

My Dad is a Chartered Accountant and has spent many years working in the city. His life and work as a result revolves around money. Even he can see the reasons for me wanting to buy a home.

jamescredmond

PasturesNew wrote: »

Trying to ... takes a lot as I have to thoroughly investigate every aspect of it first. Full research project underway. Made first phone call last night.

My aunt/cousin were in that show. Just the once mind! Not famous or anything!

never quite understood the john nettles thing.

eye candy? from a photo taken 25 yrs ago, when he weighed in at 9 st. 6lb?

was it the blue eyes that did it for the girls?

to be fair: a waiter friend of mine served him and found him to be totally 'un-luvvie like'.

I'm sure he's a nice guy.

re the jobs in jersey option: employment laws on the island are very diff. to what we're used to here. did you know that trade unions are banned? or that for most people who aren't jerseyan have got just 5 yrs to stay on the island in employment before they're asked to leave?

if this suits pastures, then I wish her well. a med. term break from the mainland could be just what she needs.

but I have friends on the island, who will tell you that its tax-haven status ensures that the hyper-wealthy control most of what happens; a dodgy little arrangement that was often alluded to in the BBC bergerac series.

wouldn't hurt, though, for pastures to have a dabble.

she can always meet me for a drink at the portelet inn. lovely place.

(pastures will be buying, btw).

PasturesNew

jamescredmond wrote: »

never quite understood the john nettles thing.

eye candy? from a photo taken 25 yrs ago, when he weighed in at 9 st. 6lb?

was it the blue eyes that did it for the girls?

to be fair: a waiter friend of mine served him and found him to be totally 'un-luvvie like'.

I'm sure he's a nice guy.

He's not my sort ... far too old and smug.

jamescredmond wrote: »

re the jobs in jersey option: employment laws on the island are very diff. to what we're used to here. did you know that trade unions are banned? or that for most people who aren't jerseyan have got just 5 yrs to stay on the island in employment before they're asked to leave?

I was thinking of a couple of weeks, scout round and sniff out the chances/opportunities... if I did find anything it'd be 1-2 years max I'd think.

Or I could bag a miw-yon-ayre and stay

jamescredmond wrote: »

if this suits pastures, then I wish her well. a med. term break from the mainland could be just what she needs.

but I have friends on the island, who will tell you that its tax-haven status ensures that the hyper-wealthy control most of what happens; a dodgy little arrangement that was often alluded to in the BBC bergerac series.

wouldn't hurt, though, for pastures to have a dabble.

she can always meet me for a drink at the portelet inn. lovely place.

(pastures will be buying, btw).

Oooh ... sounds like a date! You're buying, you cheeky little cheapskate!

I'll wangle a Porsche out of the family, it'd be mean of them to deprive me wouldn't it. I couldn't possibly be seen in public without one. They're an affordable little run around in the Lanes.

jamescredmond

no no pastures - YOU'RE buying!

with low tax/NI contribs on the island you'll be loaded.

in fact, you'll be paying for an entire binge.

don't forget - bring lots of money!

Pennywise

People retiring in the 1990s and early 2000s have generally done well out of their occupational pensions. People who retired before then probably had only the state pension, but decent company pension schemes were really worth having in the 70's 80's and 90's. Now with Gordon's tax raid on pension schemes, people retiring now and in the future are likely to be a lot worse off.

baileysbattlebus

Pennywise wrote: »

People retiring in the 1990s and early 2000s have generally done well out of their occupational pensions. People who retired before then probably had only the state pension, but decent company pension schemes were really worth having in the 70's 80's and 90's. Now with Gordon's tax raid on pension schemes, people retiring now and in the future are likely to be a lot worse off.

It depends on who you work for both, mine and OH's company pensions have been unaffected by Gordon's tax raid, OH's scheme was so healthy that a few years ago the company took a "pensions holiday" for two years - didn't make any employer contributions - as there was so much money in the fund. A bit naughty but there you go. One company I worked for put in over £20 million to fund a short fall in the pension scheme.

Our official year for retiring will be 2014 all being well - mind you I do feel really sorry for those people who have been absolutely shafted by their employers, they paid in most of there working lives only to have the fund wound up. After 20 or 30 years they end up with nothing - unless the government has actually done something about it.

PasturesNew

jamescredmond wrote: »

no no pastures - YOU'RE buying!

with low tax/NI contribs on the island you'll be loaded.

in fact, you'll be paying for an entire binge.

don't forget - bring lots of money!

pfft, you're not a very subtle gold digger are you.
And one is only loaded if one earns a lot in the first instance. 0% tax on not a lot is still not a lot. Whereas 50% tax on £1million is really worth having.