borassic

Thanks for the feedback everyone. The trouble with me is if I buy gold and gold shares I will worry all the time. With a house it's there, it's real, and I will be busy making it a comfortable home - very satisfying that. I can't stick it in a savings account as inflation will destroy it. So I play into the banker's hands: speculate in shares or go into debt. You have to hand it to 'em! They (bankers - they are in charge) will do everything it takes to keep the game going - a central banker used those very words - and the friend of the debtor is inflation.

Advice sought guys and gals: I am in the process of selling a house as my role as executor. I will be a beneficiary and receive about £100k. I am married and live in a rented flat with my wife who is a local authority worker - safe job earns about £40k pa. I am self-employed and earn about £30 pa. Our rent is about £500 pcm. We are both mid 40s. We some savings not a lot in ISAs. Have found house for sale in Cherry Tree Walk, Chesham on for £250,000 needs totally modernising ie redeck thruout, new kitchen, new bathroom and possibly a new boiler. But is habitable. http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-38585210.html Am I mad to take out a circa 125-140 motgage for 15 years? Should I wait? We are in very secure cheap accommo although cramped. This house has loads of space compared to the comedy Victorian cottages with no parking that sell for same money?

How much was the online EA (if you don't mind me asking) and did the local one do much better (and did that cost anything considering you were already advertised etc and the buyer came from the first one)? I'm guessing the local one had a number of potential buyers on their books? On the negotiating, I've directly negotiated all but two of my house buys, and all but one of my sells. I used to regularly negotiate on £1m+ semiconductor fab tools 10 years back and I still really enjoy it (actually get a buzz from it). Horses for courses and all that ). Online fee circa £1000. The local EA did not bring in any viewings, which surprised us as, like you, we though there would be their applicants list. The extra fee was the EPC, photos and floorplan - £150 (how does anyone make a living doing those? PS Quite agree re. banks. I see Dymond gets £20m if he resigns. This is like some bizarre moral universe. The banks are like the UK manufacturing Unions of the 1970s. It will destroy itself, and we need to close our accounts to hasten that.

Our online agent listed on Rightmove, we had three viewings over 7 weeks. I actually sacked them over this, and went with a local independent firm, but the first agent's applicant came good on the offer. I made it clear to agent 2 that they have no claim via the sole selling rights clause! It all went smoothly. I did the viewings, but I would urge you not to negotiate directly, I think agents are useful here. I hate dealing with large sums of money, but then that's me.

We're paying pennies to the agent (online only set-up) so we're happy. One of the high street ones wanted 1.5%.

Breaking news: offer upped to £375!

Thanks JD, we are knocking back the low offer and will hang on, still early days.

We took the lowest valuation of 395, probate is 375, so I guess 375 would make it neat and tidy.

Oh should have said they originally offered £360. I said it has to be better than that (ie think of 10's more not single digits) and they come back with 364.

Mortgage rates set to rise as Moody's downgrade UK banks. So says the Telegraph today. I have had an offer of £364 on the house (on at £395). Minimal chain, no mortgage required. Any thoughts anyone?

It's a rat trap for sure. Oh and Goethe was wrong.

I liked living there - I think Marlow itself is over-rated, far too congested and house prices insane - especially for houses that are sited on what were watercress beds (and flooded a few years back). In Marlow Bottom we also got loads of red kites - a welcome flying object. I seldom went into Marlow. I'm in Chesham now. Fantastic place to live. Toying with advertising in ebay and gumtree - anyone ever had success with these?

One agent valued at £450! And he was a senior partner. We took the lowest valuation. I lived in the house for a few years as a lodger. The M40 was never noticeable - except perhaps a strong northwest wind but even then not bad at all, and I'm sensitive to noise. What seemed to get worse over the years was aircraft noise! Yes the feedback is that it's a good location but too small. Reviewing price end of month.

I am selling a house in Marlow. Probate sale. Chalet style on at £395 - SL7 3PW if you want to look. Tip top order. Anyway, three viewings in as many weeks ALL DOWNSIZERS. Thing is, feedback reports house is too small!!

Just back from Chancellors in Chesham. All of them on the phone doing deals, sold 10 already this month, and double figs achieved last month. As Frazier would say, what is a boy to do? I am dead keen to buy but when you get Unity style construction (ie prefab) on at £179,000 and probably not mortgageable...??

Better get my skates on - I am executor for an estate with a property to sell in Marlow . 3 bed dormer style, 2 bath, garage, off street parking, south facing. Very wide valuations so far indicative of a thin market with very few transactions. EA fees from 1% to 1.5%.

Tories scheming again - this time helping the middle class (according to the Telegraph), and oh yes council houses to be sold at an even greater discount. They really are no better than Labour! Cretins. Front page today: www.telegraph.co.uk

Haarts est agts in Chesham, biggish unit at least four staff has just closed. Chesham - 1 hr to London, tube line, popular for schools, typical busy town in Chilterns.

"Been chatting with many old friends/colleagues from all over the UK (both rich and poor) over the break. Guess what, they aren't as near as gloomy as they were last year" JD - the insane amount of debt creation is having a marginal effect on jobs/orders/slowing the house price crash. We ain't seen nothing yet.

Don't put all your eggs in one basket. Split it all up: Investment Trusts - look at Personal Assets Trust (ticker PNL). Up 10% this year (plus a divi yield). PMs EMs Large cap boring firms - oil, utililites, big retailers. These firms own us, we need them. Landlording is like farming, nothing but worry! Especially the livestock. Time consuming if you self manage, ripped off if managed. Highly illiquid. Buy some dollars, as sterling looks weak and feeble. Buy some very nice rare things - clocks, watches, art - always a demand for this by the one percenters. Makes sure it's small, forget cars and big furntiture. Good luck!

I am an ex EPC surveyor but still get alerts to submit prices for EPCs. After a dead quiet Apr,May and Jun my inbox has been very busy with request for EPCs. Is there stress out there? Too right. I hear petrol receipts are down 10%. I live in South Bucks. My view is we are in recession near as damn it. My local EA has sent me the same properties 3 or 4 times now in the vain hope of getting viewings (it must be sooo dull to be an EA now) I am a FTB at 44 yrs old!!

This is the property http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-32838047.html

SSTC, but can't find anywhere to move to. Sale now fallen through, vendor thinks house prices only going up. Offer was close to asking and vitally, cash! I think the market is zombied. No one's buying, no one's dropping prices. Stalemate. Once hols kick off then it really will be totally dead. It's going to be a long hot summer.

I think Merryn Somerset Webb said that Edinburgh could rival London for financial sercvices? But now they have a loony left (ghastly Salmond) government I don't think that's going to happen. It's a cold east-facing place, and unihabitbale during August. My ex LA flat has balconies, use of an alottment, car parking and shed. 60 mins to Bond St. 2 mins to tube, Waitrose and has two street markets per week. Nice neighbours too.

Just saw this post over at HPC: The countess exchanged contracts on the flat she owns in London today. Clapham area. £410K for a 2 bed flat !!!!! Cash buyer. Are people with cash just stupid ? The sold price is top whack and I mean top whack, peak prices + 10%. Also an artcle in today's Indy Unhappy Families: Uk Is Third Worst In Europe For Home Life er, ahead of Bulgaria and Romania. London the City state that lives in it's own bubble!