House Prices Now At 2004 Levels
Les
Depends really.
If Labour are in power still, then the rich and super rich will pay more to balance the books. The Bankers will be held to account, the MP's will be held to account and we will sell off our shares in the Banks at a massive profit.
If the Tories are in power, then the Rich will be laughing, the Super Rich will be richer, the Bankers will be rubbing thier hands and the MP's will be stealing more of our money for DuckHouse, Moats and the like. The Shares in the Banks will be sold to the market at a knock-down price and the common man on the street will be paying a huge hike in taxes, receiving a poor NHS and his children will be starved of an education.
That's pretty much how I see things panning out.
Depends really.
If Labour are in power still, then the rich and super rich will pay more to balance the books. The Bankers will be held to account, the MP's will be held to account and we will sell off our shares in the Banks at a massive profit.
If the Tories are in power, then the Rich will be laughing, the Super Rich will be richer, the Bankers will be rubbing thier hands and the MP's will be stealing more of our money for DuckHouse, Moats and the like. The Shares in the Banks will be sold to the market at a knock-down price and the common man on the street will be paying a huge hike in taxes, receiving a poor NHS and his children will be starved of an education.
That's pretty much how I see things panning out.
Thank you Pete.
I do wonder however, how much of your second scenario will come to pass rather like it did a short time ago.
They cant keep printing extra money for ever of course!
Les
Guest
Posts: n/a
Funny. Not a very representative sample I know but this afternoon I had to pop into town and passed about 4 estate agents. Twice (from the car to shops then back again). Didn't see a potential punter in any of them. That's also the story most days .... so not sure where all the buyers are ....
Dave
Dave

Housing sales are now well past the bottom so if you missed it "sunnysideup" tough the bull trap has sailed as well. All we need now is wages back to normal and **** what the house sales are. I'm sure everyone is sick of having pay cuts and pay freezes 
I'm still a scabby tenant, and expect to be for a few years yet before this has all unwound.
It is funny, initially people thought I was mad to sell and then rent, then many thought I'd made a good call, now some thing I'm missing the boat. I expect to be rewarded by patience and ignoring short term market trends that are due to negative real interest rates and pre-election political interference.
People round here still want 25 times the median wage for houses that are not terribly exciting. To me that is a lot of money, and should buy you something special with privacy and location. It is also a lot of money to lose if bought at the wrong point in the cycle.
It is funny, initially people thought I was mad to sell and then rent, then many thought I'd made a good call, now some thing I'm missing the boat. I expect to be rewarded by patience and ignoring short term market trends that are due to negative real interest rates and pre-election political interference.
People round here still want 25 times the median wage for houses that are not terribly exciting. To me that is a lot of money, and should buy you something special with privacy and location. It is also a lot of money to lose if bought at the wrong point in the cycle.
Well, not quite but, anything reasonably priced seems to be sold pretty quick around here (south Hampshire). Am completing on one next week, and will be looking for another in the new year.
Everyone said it was wrong at the time TX, but doubling your money on a new build in a town that was crazily overbuilt and clearing first mortgage by 30 on a detached house was something I was quite pleased about. I'm delighted with the decision. I've had the chance to rent two amazing houses for buttons in the meantime, and have flexibility, which is useful when my wife has had three different jobs since we sold up.
My only regret is some of the trading decisions I've made with the house fund since (I'm sitting on a nice gain but could have made much more), many were "right" but I was too early and when they went the wrong way I closed them. I also didn't account for the level of political interference/quantitative easing which messes up free markets.
The main danger for me is making the same decision here. I'm sticking to my guns, and delighted to be contrarian.
The UK housing market is presently a bull trap. Far worse is to come in real house prices (relative to inflation).
My only regret is some of the trading decisions I've made with the house fund since (I'm sitting on a nice gain but could have made much more), many were "right" but I was too early and when they went the wrong way I closed them. I also didn't account for the level of political interference/quantitative easing which messes up free markets.
The main danger for me is making the same decision here. I'm sticking to my guns, and delighted to be contrarian.
The UK housing market is presently a bull trap. Far worse is to come in real house prices (relative to inflation).
Last edited by john banks; Dec 8, 2009 at 09:58 PM.
Scooby Regular
iTrader: (2)
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 15,029
Likes: 0
From: Somewhere in Kent, sniffing some V-Power
Cause he is on **** money! Wages have be slashed drastically! I can only make a good wage because I'm good at what I do! I have had work all the way thru this bad recession but my wages have been slashed and I have had to work longer hours and 7 days a week to make less money than what I could make in 5 days! If it doesn't pcik up properly next year it DEFINATELY will be the year after and things will get back to more normality 
Housing sales are now well past the bottom so if you missed it "sunnysideup" tough the bull trap has sailed as well. All we need now is wages back to normal and **** what the house sales are. I'm sure everyone is sick of having pay cuts and pay freezes 


Housing sales are now well past the bottom so if you missed it "sunnysideup" tough the bull trap has sailed as well. All we need now is wages back to normal and **** what the house sales are. I'm sure everyone is sick of having pay cuts and pay freezes 

£800 - average wage I guess? So maybe, yes?
Truth is that House Prices are storming ahead here in the South of Hampshire .... Dorset too is seeing everything selling within hours .........
I don't want to admit to what is happening in front of my eyes - but, it is happening - and I have missed the boat for my Holiday Home!
Truth is that House Prices are storming ahead here in the South of Hampshire .... Dorset too is seeing everything selling within hours .........
I don't want to admit to what is happening in front of my eyes - but, it is happening - and I have missed the boat for my Holiday Home!
£800 - average wage I guess? So maybe, yes?
Truth is that House Prices are storming ahead here in the South of Hampshire .... Dorset too is seeing everything selling within hours .........
I don't want to admit to what is happening in front of my eyes - but, it is happening - and I have missed the boat for my Holiday Home!
Truth is that House Prices are storming ahead here in the South of Hampshire .... Dorset too is seeing everything selling within hours .........
I don't want to admit to what is happening in front of my eyes - but, it is happening - and I have missed the boat for my Holiday Home!

Guest
Posts: n/a
House prices to flatten in 2010
"... House prices are likely to remain flat during 2010 at best, although some economists predict there will be another fall in values ..."
Enjoy!
Dave
"... House prices are likely to remain flat during 2010 at best, although some economists predict there will be another fall in values ..."
Enjoy!
Dave
While there is a severe shortage of decent property coming to the market, prices will be driven by buyers, and that will be upwards.
Plenty of cash rich buyers looking for somewhere to put their cash - property is as good as anywhere else.
However, if Interest Rates go up (and I mean they would have to increase 500% at least) then, and only then, will buyers dry up and prices slip.
Plenty of cash rich buyers looking for somewhere to put their cash - property is as good as anywhere else.
However, if Interest Rates go up (and I mean they would have to increase 500% at least) then, and only then, will buyers dry up and prices slip.
Last edited by SunnySideUp; Dec 9, 2009 at 04:06 PM.
Scooby Regular
iTrader: (2)
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 15,029
Likes: 0
From: Somewhere in Kent, sniffing some V-Power
Volumes are still low, bank lending is still tight, cash rich buyers may get exhausted soon and like me then look for bargains. There is a lot of pent up demand with people wanting to sell which will keep a lid on prices. Interest rates can only go one way from here, and they've probably pushed quantitative easing as far as they dare to trash the pound already. Now the piper must be paid.
http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloa...09/tab8_1a.xls
... will show you what percentile £800/wk is in, it is top 10% in many areas.
... will show you what percentile £800/wk is in, it is top 10% in many areas.
Volumes are still low, bank lending is still tight, cash rich buyers may get exhausted soon and like me then look for bargains. There is a lot of pent up demand with people wanting to sell which will keep a lid on prices. Interest rates can only go one way from here, and they've probably pushed quantitative easing as far as they dare to trash the pound already. Now the piper must be paid.
Nah, the prices are firm - they will only increase .... unless something drastic happens, like a big rise in Interest Rates.
Interest rates will go up - of course - but how fast and to what level? I suspect that they will only gradually return to the 5% they once were after about 5 years ......... so gradual that most will not notice it.
Personally, I would like rates to be hiked to 8% in the summer - I would like houses to stop selling and more to come to the market in distressed sales - I would like to become a 'predatory buyer' (as an Estae Agent called me in Q4 2008) again .......
But, I fear that I cannot see House Prices falling again for a few decades - if the last horrific economic downturn didn't hit them for six - nothing will ...
Many opinions make a market 
A rally on low volumes after the start of a burst of a bubble driven by negative real interest rates is highly suspect. It isn't getting my cash.

A rally on low volumes after the start of a burst of a bubble driven by negative real interest rates is highly suspect. It isn't getting my cash.



few years ago wasn't it?



I would call that a bloody good wage for a painter and decorator, even before tax.