Housing Crisis

[stevic]

I just thought I would give younger members of the forum an insight to how the housing market has spiralled to such a ridiculous level over the last few decades. And this is why there is so much pressure on social housing.

 

In 1970 I was an approved electrician earning

[Smilge]

I just thought I would give younger members of the forum an insight to how the housing market has spiralled to such a ridiculous level over the last few decades. And this is why there is so much pressure on social housing.

 

In 1970 I was an approved electrician earning

[Bigjeeze]

As far as I see it this is an issue that cannot now be solved. More than half of our economy seems to be related to the selling, buying renting or building and renovating houses!.

 

If you slow the sales down then the estate agents, solicitors and mortgage companies suffer (Hooray!!) If you stop the renovations then all the tradesmen suffer (reserve judgement on that one!).

 

All the DIY stores need the market to stay buoyant - It seems that no one would actually want the prices to come down! Mind you I get a bit annoyed when people complain that house prices are so high that they can't buy any - so can't make any money!!.

 

Houses are for living in - they should not be viewed as an investment and as a primary reason to buy. Once that's agreed maybe some sense will come back to the market place.

 

 

I don't know about you but in my High Street there are 12 Estate Agents out of 44 shops. That cannot ge right. Yet they all seem to make money.

[seatkid]

I don't know about you but in my High Street there are 12 Estate Agents out of 44 shops. That cannot ge right. Yet they all seem to make money.

At 1% minimum, 2% typical commission and a healthy turnover on houses being renovated a la BBC philosophy (Buy it - Bodge it - Cash it in), its not surprising that estate agents do well. Remember some agents are also lenders (e.g. Halifax).

 

Even the rules on taxation are slack. For instance,"couples" can buy his and hers - they live in "his" and do up "hers" to sell on etc. This way they avoid capital gains tax altogether. :43:

 

IMO The whole tax system is skewed to favour the "entrepeneur" (get rich quick merchants) at the expense of Mr and Mrs Justwantsahome.

 

Its about time someone in government looked at housing seriously and radically - problem is they're all too busy feeding in a money trough somewhere. Take a look at the last guy responsible for housing review, Johnny 2 Jags Prescot :43:

 

And builders :) - why are new build developments always "high specification luxury homes" and never "reasonably priced and cheap to run homes"?

[tiny]

So does anyone else think that immigration could be a contributory factor?

 

If immigrants flock to an area and take up a significant proportion of local authority/housing association property, then that will surely displace a lot of other possible tennants(UK Nationals), that of course would increase the amount of people looking to rent in the private sector which would make BTL an attractive business opportunity for those with the inclination to dabble in such areas.

 

House prices will rise due to the increased demand for housing. Lower earners and first time buyers will be priced out of the market as a result and forced into rental rather than home ownership, this in turn feeding the BTL market, and continuing the vicious circle(or downward spiral).

 

It may be a contentious issue and only a part of the problem, but we need to close our borders to immigrants wether asylum seekers or ecomomic immigrants. Perhaps then we could start looking after our own poor instead of the rest of the worlds spongers.

[Bigjeeze]

I agree Tiny - that it is a contentious issue - I also agree that it can't be helping.

 

I do think we need to clear up a few points though. I don't know about you but I never could afford to buy a house at age 19 or 20 I had to wait until I had enough money saved at 26. There is this expectation that everyone of working age should have the right and the opportunity to buy a house and that somehow something has changed which stops them from doing that - It hasn't !! most of them never could or would have!.. My parents didn't own their own home until their 50's - almost everyone I grew up with lived in Council or privately rented homes. Purchase wasn't an option for the majority - although eveyone sees it as their god given right - mostly for the purposes of making money not living in.!

[Zonal_82]

I'm currently living with my wife and three children in a rented council flat. I'm 25 and i cant see myself being able to afford to get a morgage any time in the near future.

 

I have quite a good job and we dont sponge of the government for anything. But still i know that if want to be able to own my own home when i'm 50!! i'm either going to have to move somewhere remote in the country side or move abroad!

 

In the area that i live in there are new houses being built every few months and in some aspects i think this is great.....untill i see that these houses are being filled with people who dont even have the right to be in this country!!! i'm sorry to maybe sound prejudice about this but my local council spends too much on housing people who have come to england to have an easy life!

 

I would have no problem up routing and moving away but it is sooooo expensive and i just cant afford it.

 

Back to the point that was raised, i do think that building new houses is a good idea....BUT! within reason. A local landmark of our town is being demolished because they want to beild houses there. Why not move down the road just out of the center of town by about 5 miles where there is much more open space and build them there?

 

My mum is living in New Zealand and she tells me of lots of british people moving there because britain and esspecially london is getting over crouded!!!

 

tell me what you think are there too many of these new houses out there or is it just me??

[big_kev]

I would advise that if you can find anyway to join your mum in New Zealand do it now !

 

Wish I had emigrated to Australia or New Zealand years ago when I had the chance.

 

This country has gone down the pan, full of layabouts and scroungers and now were importing them !

 

Sorry just my rant.......

 

 

 

There is a policy to try and build on "brownland" wherever possible ( obviously you can give a bung to the local councillors to get around this ), however it should be noted that "brownland" includes all garden areas not just where a building was previously.

 

Therefore the last figures show that almost a 1/5th of new property is built on what was effectively a garden area before.

 

These mini-green belts are being covered up with flats and "affordable housing"......

 

This affordable housing is snapped up for Buy To Let......

 

 

 

 

Definition of typical buy to let arrangement..

 

Uncle Jack has a couple of bob spare, buys a house here and lets it out.

 

Uncle Jack's "relation" comes into the country...signs on the dole and rents Uncle Jacks house.

The money given to layabouts on the dole affords a much better standard of living than in their home country.

 

The tax payer pays for the rent ( and uncle Jack's mortgage ! ) Uncle Jack buys another house........

 

The builders are also making a killing from this demand for housing....again from the taxpayer.

 

 

Used the name "Jack" so as not to offend....we all know what the real names would be.