BoldAsBrass

I'd only consider listing that with someone like Savile's or Staggs or Chesterton Humbert. I know this end of the market quite well - the people that run those agencies KNOW people. Although your place is not real 'top of the market' - it is close enough to mean that it is not going to be sold to someone who spends their life looking at Rightmove. Or driving around villages in the country looking in local Estate Agents' windows. People looking to buy at this end of the market ring 'someone they know' at one of the agents I mentioned above and tell them what they are looking for. If, as a buyer, you ring someone at Humbert's and tell them what you want - and they haven't got anything on their books that suits - they will know what Savile's have on their books and will do a deal with them. It is how the £1.5 million + market works.

Hmm, this forum seems to be a bit haywire. Replied to a post from International Superstar and it put the post at the end of the thread.

Regarding sterling - I don't care about sterling. I sold a house and got paid in pounds. I stuck the money in an English bank and, 7 years later, bought another house in pounds. Whether sterling went up or down against gold does not interest me at all and I don't see it as a useful way to measure house prices. No, I haven't actually managed to sell it for more. The house next door (on an estate, identical) has just sold (7 days on the market) for 75k more than I paid for mine. (And, yes, actually sold - we have new neightbours) I've spent 20k on kitchen, bathrooms, carpets and flooring so I reckon 50k is a fair figure. (Don't get me wrong, I'm not happy about this - for the sake of my children - but the point I was making was that there has been enough HPC hot air over the last 10 years to power the economy for decades). And, when you ask '25% more what?' - 25% more than I sold up for in 2003. Quite how it worked out I don't know, but with the interest earned on the money while it was in the bank (back in 2003/4/5/6/7 the interest paid the rent and more besides - so, somehow, the money in the bank started building up) and the fact that I bought our present house cheap (it needed doing up and, 2 years ago, the market was still recovering from the 2008 shock) - I seem to be about 50k better off than I would have been if I'd stayed put. Lot of fluff in the figures though - I've had a few good years at work too.

I sold to rent in .... oooohhh, let me think back .... right back at the beginning of the HPC site .... yes, that was it, I sold to rent in December 2003. Just the straight NINE years ago. I really, REALLY can't believe where those 9 years have gone. And, if I'm honest, I would say that the house I sold then would sell now, quite comfortably for 100k more than I sold it for, or, roughly, for 25% more. I am willing to admit I know nothing My opinions count for nothing In matters financial I am always wrong How many others will attend the Truth and Reconciliation site - HPCwasAloadOfBolleaux.com Edit: I did buy back in 2010 and, unbelievably, the house I bought has gone up by about 50k since then. But, as we all know, it's not real. None of it is.

Obviously just an anecdotal observation. I don't know that many people - but quite a few people I have spoken to over the last few months are not downsizing - they are making arrangements to share their accommodation with their kids. Either by extending/adapting/going in to the loft etc. to create separate(ish - not enough for 2 or more council taxes) or by building what are technically 'mobile' homes in the garden. My wife and I are about to apply for planning for a big double storey extension on the side of the house - about 1000 sq ft (which will incorporate one of the pair of garages) which we will move in to. The house will fairly neatly divide into two giving both of our sons their own roughly 1000 sq ft each of 2 bed accommodation. I've mentioned this plan before, on here, but I only repeat it now because it is remarkable how many people I mention my plans to and they are either already considering something similar or, next time I see them, say they're giving the matter serious consideration. We are young baby boomers - just 60 - so most of my peers, like me, have youngish adult children who have missed the property ladder - or are too young to get on it. People 10 years older than us seem to have managed to offload their kids - nearly everyone I know still has their kids living with them.

How many people sell their house and buy electricity with the money? The vast majority of people buy a house to live in. The only factors they are interested in are: What they earn How much their mortgage is Whether general inflation makes it harder for them to pay their mortgage Whether their house price has gone down in nominal terms or in terms of how many ounces of gold you would need to buy it is of no interest whatsoever. Nor does the price of houses in terms of ounces of gold mean anything to anyone other than someone who sold to rent and put all their money into gold. If the price of gold halved tomorrow, would you think that house prices had doubled? If gas halved in price tomorrow, would you consider that house prices had been affected?

Boy, why is this trotted out over and over again? The purchasing power of the pound, in house buying/inflation terms, is only relevant to house prices. "Wow, my electricity bill has gone up again. The purchasing power of my pound has been eroded. I now need £50 a month instead of £40 a month to pay for the electricity I use. The house I want to buy is the same price is it was, yet, somehow, miraculously, it's now cheaper for me to buy the house because it's more expensive for me to buy electricity! It's a miracle!"

No comprendo? What do you mean? If you mean that a house built by me should not be touched with a bargepole - I spent 20 years in construction. Everything from dual carriageways, tunneling, high rise offices, hotels and, at the end of my 20 years when I stopped working in London, housing. I have built loads of extensions over the years, fitted my own central heating (not allowed any more - well, not the gas bit), done my own wiring (not allowed any more), dug foundations, laid bricks, cut roofs and so on. I know more about the technical side of construction than any local builder and most site agents you get in commercial house building. If you buy a house from me - or a house that has had an extension built - you can rest assured it was built by a fanatical nutter who made sure everything was right. I even put fixings into plasterboard at the recommended 150mm centres - as opposed to the one a foot you get from a tacker.

Academic. I spent 20 years in the construction industry, son No. 1 works as a builder ... so, labour free. Materials - I don't know, haven't priced it yet. At least 60k I should think. As opposed to each of the lads having to find a quarter of a million for a 2 bed house in the same area.

Rent? Errr, rent from children ... sorry, no comprendo. Never had any rent from my children! Not one penny. Have have a few digs ... 'living here scot-free, treat the place like a hotel, hot water sir? yes, no problem, please allow me to pay the electricity bills, house heated 24/7 in the winter, that would be my pleasure sir.

Plans are afoot chez BoldAsBrass ... we have a 4 bed detached house with a load of room on the side ... for a double storey extension which will provide about 1000 sq ft of living space. Myself and my good wife will occupy this (2 bed, 1 bath, I open plan living area) and the rest of the house will be divided, in due course, to provide (almost) separate 2 bed units - one each for our sons. We'll build this ourselves over the course of the next few years and not take on any debt. My (2) sons will be able to live mortgage free and with up to 2 kids (sharing a bedroom) at a pinch - and we'll be on hand for baby sitting duties when that time comes. It's not ideal - we had hoped to have a bit more freedom when we retire - and I'm sure the kids would prefer to strike out on their own - but, life is not ideal and, from the kids point of view, being able to start out in life mortgage free is a huge bonus. Plus, we will not be creating actual separate residences, so they won't be able to sell up and buy somewhere bigger, without us all doing it - and the same applies to us of course. As I say, not ideal, but not too bad either.

Well, well - house next door to my brother's just sold (well, okay, Under Offer). But went 'Under Offer' within a week following an 'open evening' where he reckons about 5 people viewed. 80k more than he paid for his identical house (admittedly, needing 20k spent on it) 2 years ago. This house price crash - there seems to be very little evidence of it in London (where I work sometimes), the South East (where I live) and the South West (where I visit regularly). It just ain't happening.

I am not 'having a go' - we are all guilty of interpreting facts to suit our position. But I really don't get this particular proposition - that Barratt's share price foretells the movement of UK house prices. House prices in Berkshire since 2000 Barratt's share price since 2003 Where is there any correlation whatsoever?

Hasn't he been predicting the imminent demise of UK house prices for 10 years now? And for a long time basing the next leg down on Barrat's share price? 10 years on from the birth of sites like HPC and still no crash.

Well I don't. Haven't had it yet, can't see where it's coming from in the next year. I went to visit friends at the weekend where I used to live near Wokingham in Berkshire. I saw little housing development of 5 detached houses crammed into a plot that as far as I can remember used to contain one bungalow with a long garden. Anyway, being nosy, I had a look around. Two are sold, three are available. Usual modern estate fodder, nice looking from outside, nice landscaping etc. but from the point of view of what you get for your money ... smallish houses, tiny back gardens, a single garage and crappy shared parking arrangements. I used to live in a 4 bed estate detached house not too far away - and it's worth about £450k. These new builds - and two of them are sold - with people living in them are OVER 800k. I was flabberghasted. The madness continues with, as far as I can see, no end in sight. These are the properties http://www.rightmove.co.uk/new-homes-for-sale/property-37675859.html

Amazing change in 50 years. When I was growing up there in the 50s and 60s the place was full of immigrants working in the factories - EMI, Callard and Bowser, Walls, Nestles etc. All those immigrants came from Ireland, Wales, Scotland and Liverpool - and we had a community. Times have changed. Then the place was full of Scots, Irish and Welsh people - now the Scots want nothing to do with us. It's very sad.

I'd give it to a local agent and let them have a go. Where I live near Guildford they're still getting away at daft money ... and I go back to where I lived until a couple of years ago regularly to see family. A house on an estate where my sister lives is being sold by one of these £495 fixed price agents and they have not had a sniff according to my sister. Other stuff on her estate is still selling in the 400k to 700k price bracket.

I won't bore you with the details ... I grew up in Hayes and, even as a child, could not wait to get out. I last went there a few years ago to attend a memorial service for an old friend. I got there early and took a stroll up to the town - along Coldharbour Lane and Station Road. I closed my eyes and memories of me as a primary school child flooded back. I could see myself standing at the bus stop waiting for the 204 or the 98. Belfields the bakers where you could buy a stale iced bun for a penny at the end of the day. The newsagents where the old lady who owned the shop sold Woodbine singles. And then I opened my eyes and thought 'who turned this place into Beirut?' I grew up on a council estate where nearly everyone kept neat front lawns with white alysum and blue lobelia along the edges - with marigolds, fuschias and prized roses behind. With back gardens where men grew potatoes, peas, carrots, cabbages and runner beans. Where everyone had a compost heap. On that same estate now many of the houses have brick walls with wrought iron fences and gates - and bloody great 4x4s everywhere. Drug dealing and crime certainly does pay. I could not tell you to what extent the whole area is now one big chav infested shitehole with almost none of the original inhabitants left. From my peer group, almost everyone got out of there.

Just this very day an old friend told me they are selling their house and splitting the proceeds between the children - and they are moving into one of those awful mobile home parks for the retired - because their children are getting on for 40 and cannot afford to move up the property ladder. The son has at least as good a job as his father had at his age - yet he has no chance of owning a house like the one he grew up in - unless his parents sell up and give him a load of money. Strange days indeed.

No, they are sold prices. They do have asking price data as well (I think) but I am clicking on the 'Sold prices since 2000' links and, to be honest, I have only looked at 4 or 5 counties - dotted about the country - Berkshire, Devon, Nottinghamshire, Northumberland - I think they were - and they all show the same thing ... which is not much like the graph that was posted based on Land Registry prices. The Home Sold prices are based on that data too ...

But that graph looks nothing like this graph for Berkshire - where I lived until a couple of years ago. That shows prices pretty flat between 2007 and now. As does this one for Nottinghamshire I looked at a load of different counties a while ago. They all show the same thing. Prices went up a lot but, depending on area, it was either ages ago or before 2007 and that, one way or another, the market has been pretty flat (apart from Londo) for 4 to 5 years now. Which makes it feel less like a boom every day.

Plenty of deja vu in the last few posts - the same arguments have been dissected to the nth degree a million times on HPC - 10 years ago. A little anecdotal - a friend in Winchester (outskirts - not the very pricey city centre) - retired some years ago, been thinking about downsizing a bit and giving their adult children some money. 4 bed estate box - pre credit crunch - 2007 - were fetching £350k. Post credit crunch - 2009 - down to £315k - 18 months on market. (Not theirs, a few doors up). 2012 - agent in to value - £400k apparently (okay, it's not sold yet - I know!) Where I live - 4 bed detached a few doors away from us has just gone on for £540k. Until recently - they were all in the £475k area. Leaflet from estate agent through letter box in the last hour - 4 bed detached houses desperately wanted in the area - why not get them round? These leaflets are usually a sign of an agent that thinks he can sell your house - not take it on for a laugh for a year. What, the feck, is going on? Eldest lad inherited a bit of money from an aunt recently - and he has a savings nest egg built up over the years from pocket money and grandparents etc and, with a bit of a stretch, he could buy something in poor condition to do up. He works in the building industry. I've been preaching the house price crash message to him for years - while he is watching (and helping) his mates and his boss buy up houses, do them up, and make a profit. I haven't got the nerve to say anything any more. Worse case he'll end up with somewhere to live and not be paying some bastard's mortgage for them.

Just an observation ... I have seen loads of houses advertised over the last few years with one of the commission free agents or the DIY house sale 'pack providers' ... I can't think of one where, a few months later, one of the boards belonging to a local agent did not go up. Good luck with it though - agents' fees are a bloody outrage. Why, in your case, they think SIX THOUSAND POUNDS PLUS VAT - making 7.2k in total (based on 1.5%) - is a fair price for sticking a property on Rightmove and fielding a few phone calls baffles me. I'd happily pay them on the same basis I pay a solicitor. On an hourly rate. £50 an hour for a relatively unskilled, unprofessional job - 10 hours work (absolute max) - £500.

I must be sensitive to the noise. In Frieth - every time you step outside the house when it is quiet - it is there - a constant drone in the background. Drives me nuts I must admit but, to be fair, you can hear road noise in the background almost anywhere in the South East. Marlow Bottom is in a dip - you must miss the worst of it there. Frieth is up in the air - second highest village in the Chilterns. I used to love watching the endless little planes from Booker towing the gliders up. On a summer Sunday you'd see loads of them circling above you and, occasionally, someone would whoosh over the house on their approach. You're right though, I had forgotten the aircraft noise. I can remember standing in the garden a few times pointing a pretend gun at the light aircraft - there are days when it is bloody constant. I like the fact that you got local agents to value and are using a fixed fee agent from Bournemouth to sell - the local agents will be sitting there now like preying mantis(s?) waiting for the fixed fee agent to fail and for you to come, cap in hand, to them. (That's how they will see it.) I lived over there during the 1988 house price bust. Before the bust there were 13 agents in Marlow - a couple of years later there were 6.

Interesting to see you are using a fixed fee agent - be interested to know how that works out. Know the area well - used to live in Frieth. Kind of really a 2 bed house in that most people would think the bedroom on the ground floor is a dining room. Best part of 400k for that - boy, it's a lot of money for a small, family house in an okay area. Marlow is nice and the surrounding villages are nice ... Marlow Bottom has a big housing estate and the drone of the M40 as one's ever-present background noise. Prices are still truly nuts.