benmorg

KeyboardWarrior Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > All the time there are people wanting to move into > the area like yourself then prices will stay where > they are. Basic supply and demand. The price of credit determines demand. The main reason house prices have held up since 2009 is the dramatic fall in the base rate to a 300-year minimum. At some point, interest rates will rise again and house prices may resume their fall back to sane levels. But who knows when that will happen - could be next year, could be in 20 years.

When I used to live in Nunhead (Ivydale Road) I did a bit of investigation to find out what the subsoil was, for buildings insurance purposes. Someone at the British Geological Survey told me it's clay. Not sure if it's "London clay" or some other kind of clay. There may be other layers of sediment above or below the clay. If you want more detail for a specific site you can buy a geological map from the BGS (http://shop.bgs.ac.uk/Georeports/info.cfm?STD_REP=S002). BGS might be able to give the general picture for the area, if you can find the right person to talk to. Dulwich & Norwood have very high buildings insurance premiums (about the highest in the UK) due to the high risk of subsidence. I'm no expert, but I suspect shrinking & expansion of the subsoil clay is the main cause.

Penguin68 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I saw a guy the spit-and-image of Karl Pilkington > in DKH Sainsbury's this morning, with a small > child in tow - does anyone know if the real KP has > such an encumbrance, or indeed lives anywhere near > London? He does live in London, but north of the river. No kids. Probably a lookalike.

aspidistra Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > They are also targeting cars, and men have been > the target in the past, though possibly these are > different gangs. Yes they go for people loading shopping into the car. If you put a handbag/Shoulder bag etc down for a moment, it's at risk. Putting it on passenger seat is also a bad idea while the doors are unlocked or windows down.

This happened to a friend of mine. I would recommend leaving your handbag at home and shopping with a wallet or credit card you can keep in a pocket. If there's nothing for a bag snatcher to snatch, you won't be targeted.

Another factor might be the wealthy Chinese buyers flooding into central London and buying almost everything in sight. Chinese investors made stacks in Beijing during the last Olympics and may be hoping for another Olympic bubble in London. That would obviously be a temporary boost for prices.. Mick Mac Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > 50% you say. It looks to me like ED property is > currently trading around 2007 levels. Dulwich > Village is ahead of 2007 levels it seems. > > Buy to Let is back in fashion. > > Discuss.....

Yes the top of the market has rebounded strongly - much more so in central London, where prices are more than 10% over 2007's peak (provided you ignore the fall in sterling). I think it's all propped up by the record low bank rate. This supports house prices in various ways: * holds back tide of repossessions * improves affordability for buyers (particularly the equity rich, i.e. wealthy buyers at top of market) * makes savings accounts useless & drives yield-hungry investors elsewhere * makes inflation more likely and increases demand for assets like property & commodities (QE also had this effect) All this could go into reverse if rates start to rise, but I think the BoE will hold them low for years as it's now targetting house prices in order to prop up our quango-banks, which would implode if house prices crashed again. It certainly isn't a free market. Mick Mac Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > 50% you say. It looks to me like ED property is > currently trading around 2007 levels. Dulwich > Village is ahead of 2007 levels it seems. > > Buy to Let is back in fashion. > > Discuss..... > > (Love this thread, had to bring it back)

http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/News/newsresults/General-news/2011/March/mar1811petroltheft2/

Sorry to hear about your burglary anapau. I hope they get caught. For anyone else with a laptop that gets left at home - might be worth installing this thing: http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/jun/01/man-uses-app-track-alleged-laptop-thief

Yes but there are two questions in the thread - one for York (M11) and the other for Manchester (M6). Townleygreen Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I agree with Quids, much of these routes are far > too far west. The OP is trying to get to York for > goodness sake. M11 is your best bet.

Agree with the others that M4/M25/M40 & M6 Toll is fastest way. If the M25 is congested you can carry on along M4 and use the A404 (along the Chilterns) to get to the M40. spanglysteve Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Similar question from me. I'm starting from my > work in Westminster and am looking to get to > Manchester. I cant decide whether to go up > edgeware rd and on to the M1 which will be a > nightmare as it involves being in town for so > long. > > The other option is to take the M40 either from > the westway, or by going through Hammersmith > M4/M25. My instinct says that in normal > circumstances going by Hammersmith would be best, > but not sure about venturing on the M25 around > rush-hour on a bank holiday weekend.

M11 is far easier to get to thanks to the A12, which is separated from most normal roads. I'd take the Rotherhithe tunnel and A13 to get to the A12. You'll hit traffic once you cross the river, but when you're on the A12 things will move faster. M1 means crossing central London, which is fun in a way, but never quick.

Maybe there is no rise in crime - just a rise in the popularity of reporting it on the forum. Dulwich had been a hotspot for burglars for years. I'm not entirely convinced anything has changed. DJKillaQueen Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I can't say for sure if it the school's presence > is related to a rise in teenage crime, but there > are a couple of ongoing incidents under > investigation. For obvious reasons details of them > can't be given in a public domain. It is certainly > a view of the Police that such a large influx of > young men into one area will present problems that > concern them. > > The iphone and similarly expensive but easily > carried items may well be an attraction for local > robbers.

DJKillaQueen Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Sorry to hear about your son and his friends > Brian. > > The Police are taking teenage robbery very > seriously and have been doing so locally for > months now, targetting hotspots. Arrests have been > made along the way too but they can't be > everywhere. > > Street robbery does tend to increase with warm > weather but it's also worth saying that a boys > school (a third full at the moment) but that will > eventually hold 900 pupils has not escaped the > Police radar.... i.e. sudden influx of teenage men > into the area and a growing rise in the level of > teenage robbery......even though those involved > may well be small in number, but prolific and may > not attend the school. > > Did your son and his friends report the crime > right away? The Police will usually take the > victims on patrol looking for the robbers if they > do, on the off chance they are still nearby on > foot. Do you think the apparent rise in crime is related to the new school on Peckham Rye? I've also been wondering if the popularity of iPhones is a factor. Maybe when smartphones eventually drop in price the rate of mugging will fall.

James Barber Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > The developer wh's purchased the Dulwich Garden > Centre has two planning applications in and the > community gain being offered is a new Grove Vale > Library double the size of the current one. I was > wondering the oppisite side behind the advertising > posters whether any room for cycle lockers...any > one able to take a peek this week? Is the garden centre closing down then? It's news to me that it's being redeveloped.

A friend of mine had a handbag snatched from passenger seat of car in sainsburys today. There seems to be one or two muggers targeting female shoppers with cars.

Rotherhithe tunnel and A12 definitely. A12 is fast. Fuscia's back st route to A12 sounds good but I haven't tried it myself.

Sue Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Wonder how those people who mock homoeopathy can > explain how it works on foxes? It can hardly be a > placebo effect when the foxes presumably don't > know they are being treated. The great thing about homeopathy is that you can use rain as a cure-all, since the water in rain will already have a memory of every compound on Earth and the dilution rate is very high. Presumably the fox drank some rain and that cured it.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/2011/apr/27/royal-wedding-secret-kate-wills

Senor Chevalier Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > When I sold my last place, one agent valued it > significantly higher than the others, but guess > what... their % fee was the highest. > > I asked them to justify the higher sales price. > They gave me the usual flannel about being very > confident, having identified buyers and having > recently achieved blah blah. > > I told them I was prepared to go with them but > that I could only justify their fee if they > achieved their forecast sales price otherwise > their fee rate would need to step down to match > the other agents. They protested at this, but I > simply said that it was up to them, take it or > leave it, if they were so confident then they > should put their money where their mouth is. > > Despite their fee being "non-negotiable" they went > for it, as the only argument they could make to > not accept my terms was that they didn't believe > their own price forecast. > > Suffice to say it sold for less than their > estimate, but at least I paid them at the lower > rate. I also quite like having the agent properly > incentivised to achieve a good price rather than > the usual model of putting your place on the > market and then pressuring you to drop the price 2 > weeks' later. Nice thinking.

Jamaican street party? The sombre mood could mean there was a funeral. When I lived in nunhead my neighbours were Jamaican and their parties were always on the street, often on warm evenings.

No planes today, where have they all gone?

You can look at actual sold prices with with historic rightmove ads (including all photos) on Zoopla. E.g. here are results for Friern Road (click on the orange "H" for historic ads): http://www.zoopla.co.uk/house-prices/london/friern-road/?q=friern%20road I would recommend getting an independent surveyor to do a private valuation for you, free from any bias caused by affiliation to estate agents or mortgage companies. This costs about ?140 and will give you an idea of fair market value. ClareC Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > As someone who would like to leave London in the > not so distant future, I would be interested to > ask the buyers out there what they think the > current "value" of ED properties is? > > Particularly interestesd in current "value" of a 4 > bed (3 good sized doubles one with ensuite, one > single (estate agent double!!))Victorian semi, in > catchment area for good schools (Heber and > Goodrich)in good decorative order, large eat in > kitchen (new) (side return extension done), 2 > additional reception rooms, new bathrooms (one > bathroom, one shower room and a downstairs > cloakroom,loft converted, small garden and 5 min > walk to Lordship Lane and Dulwich Park (15 min > walk to station). > > Any offers welcome ;-) > > In all seriousness, Ive looked on right move and > similiar houses seem to be priced ridiculously > high with KFH and Foxtons, but it's impossible to > find sold prices of something similiar given there > is not enough information on the sold prices to > know if a house is comaparable or not!

I think the noise problem is intermittent in East Dulwich. When the planes are audible, there tends to be an almost continuous flow, with one flight increasing in volume as the previous one fades (really infuriating if you listen to this at 5 a.m. in the morning with a hangover). But there seem to be long periods when there are no planes at all. Maybe Heathrow has different flight plans in different seasons. The problem seems to be worst in summer, perhaps because it's holiday season?