Saila

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-11-06/priciest-london-luxury-homes-lose-shine-as-sellers-aim-too-high.html interesting article off Bloomberg today

We had a lot of lovely well behaved kids. Real shame that didn't happen ax the board. Depressing

So... Osbourne to announce a tax on foreign property investors. Hmmmm

Huge recommendation for ALEX our plumber who's sorted out a number of jobs for us this week. He's calm, friendly and knows his stuff. Plus incredibly good value. Importantly he didn't ask me to post on here - this is a genuine recommendation as I know how hard it is to find a decent plumber around here. Alex - gas safe - 07855 744 561

yes - adys, ondine, oglander, everthorpe

Are we in the eye of the storm?

I listened to the whole thing. I was a dribbling wreck at the end. It was on last w/e. Called 'goodbye' I found it brilliant but horrifically sad.

Fantastic article 'comment' from ruby in that guardian link - good for her!

I too had what I felt was a v traumatic first 'natural' birth. I opted for elective section second time round and loved it. Would do it again in a flash. Everything was totally calm and I even go as far as to say I enjoyed it. I found the recovery a *doddle* relative to my hideous physical and emotional state post natural. I am *never* doing that again.

Flats may have that yield, esp ex-council flats, poss higher. However, victorian properties/houses lost their yield years ago. There is no return on them through rental, but huge in terms of capital, so I guess that's why ppl won't sell right now as doesn't really matter if they are only getting 2.5% yield (ie what we will be paying) if the price of the house goes up by 10% each year. Although that would be subject to tax.

agree - I cant rent my house and justify catchment for schools. it's verging on illegal. I wont lie on my death bed worrying about money, but I will worry about doing the best I can for my kids. so schools win here and we need a good school by jan 15 deadline for applications. if your primary residence is not your home, you risk everything. let house prices go up. but they wont continue at this rate. at least that's what i'm banking on cos it's insane. my father has bought and sold property all his life, and he's a wise old nut. he says current market reminds him of 'early 70s' when things got a bit crazy. it is crazy. it's short term investment like a stock/equity going up too fast, too quickly. it is not need nor is it backed up by wealth/yield etc. which ever metric you use, currently house prices are well out of kilter. edit to say - 18 months ago, house prices were 20% cheaper. I don't look back, but forwards. will the market go up 20% again from here? second edit to say - the property we are renting is valued at 40x yearly income. 20x is long term average, ie the price of the property should be 50% cheaper than current value...

very interesting thread. I've been trying to upsize from a property to the next 'level up' for garden and school malarkey. We've been gazumped or dumped (3x in the last 5 months) but not due to another buyer, just seller greed and/or chain breaking. Suffice to say 'greed-house' has still not sold (2 months on) at the owner's new asking price (promised to them by a rouge agent who promised they could get him more). anyway - we have decided to cash in and rent. population growth etc does not push prices up by 25% in two years. That's investors chasing yield, European's chasing safe havens etc. Not that there's any yield in Victorian properties. frankly the valuation on yield makes zero sense. I'll probably be very wrong and kick myself in 12 month's time. But hey ho, i'll take the money and have a bigger garden for my kids in a nicer area via rental. I haven't rented since I was student. weird.

Greater london 'asking prices' are now 19.6% higher than the 2007 high Off from the peak in June of this year, when they were 24.8% higher than 2007 Most of that move happened in 2012 and this year.

No-one preidcted the view that london property would be considered a 'safe haven' in Europe during the crisis years that followed 2007. If that money continues to flow in / stays invested here, then all will be fine. But if it goes. I struggle to see what will prop it up at these levels other than record low IR forever...

Currently a lot of the demand is from overseas investment. Take the 'story' away and they'll leave. A change in the direction of IR could have a material impact on sentiment. I personally believe this is a bubble. Yes, it may not drop by 50% perhaps not even 35% But even say a 20% drop - is a huge amount of real money on these massive numbers.

Spencer Dale (one of the rate setting committee members of BoE) in today's guardian saying rates may go up as early as 2014... ... Pop!

I'm most definitely on the wrong side of this 'bubble' I think a lot of ppl were caught out during the 'crisis' by selling into it. Ultimately what no-one predicted was the massive amount of cash that has flooded in from Europe. As the Uk was seen as a safe haven (xref that NY times article) i'm however in the negative camp (I see house price rises as negative).. primarily because, it feels like the government are trying to inflate their way out of debt, and they see house prices as a sacrifice in that process. i.e. they don't mind a bubble in house prices, cos ultimately that's a weird daily-mail vote winner anyway - so not a huge sacrifice! but they *need* to get out of debt... so inflation may be their quick fix option

just watched news - same noise was made during an arrest of terrorist in west London. "sounded like a mix btw gun fire and thunder" that's similar to the noise I heard. we know someone on Peckham hill st was arrested yesterday - could this have been the cause? Peckham hill st pretty close to us

I heard it. Woke me up. Went on for what seemed like a few mins. Half asleep and want thunder but sounded kinda like that. Bellenden road, ED end.

I was told Goosegreen is approx 490m Hamlet is approx 900m but someone may have a more accurate figure than that. Pretty sure it's btw 900 and 1000m

Anything north of 500M is risky Less than, should be fine Not counting bulge years

How long has the 'tougher' ofsted process been in place - anyone know?

Someone told me a solution to this classic problem we all face. You have a picture of thomas (removable) on a drawing of a railway that loops in a circle. Stuck on the wall. There should be say ten or so *points* on the looped track. A station, a bridge etc Then like with 'pin the tail on the donkey'. Each time he does something good, you travel along the track one step. Then when you get to the end, you make a huge fuss about getting there. Then it starts all over. Just all about changing the reward, to being the fuss *you* make, rather than the toy/sticker/star. And it becomes about achieving something. Not gaining something. It relies on you being as enthusiastic as the most annoying tv presenter you can imagine. Hard work but may be worth it. Good luck!

Went two weeks o/due, movements had stopped. Refused induction and insisted on elective section. No regrets My placenta had died and I'm grateful he came out safe and sound. Oh, and he was ten pounds! Thank god... Good luck X

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