Merlot

Try Yarm in Teesside up north, full of wannabe's darling!

bondipom

457, student and the boat from Indonesia. This is done though abuses of the visas.

Storini

I was in Oz a few weeks ago, and there was a lot of talk about skill shortages in trades, and the issue was quite a political football. My impression is that there is an intention to increase to number of visas issued for skilled trades in the coming year(s).

NJJ

Here in Victoria there's currently a scheme in the making of shipping in x,000's of Chinese labourers for the hopspitality and farm labouring industries as, according to various media sources, the out of work aussie's would rather sit on their backsides claim rocknroll than get out picking fruit.

NJJ

PS - I am myself currently a farm labourer, although not chinese!

Badge

What has happened is that a whole mob of people have gone from being below-average -average to above average means (measured by a variety of metrics) by exiting Uk stage left.

I admit - I did the same - I plead guilty m'lud of making a bit of money on my home sale but I am not proud of it and have always despaired for the first home buyer.

Generally, I think it is immoral that people spend money that does not belong to them, they are using money that is only the supposed valuation of their house. Still, they will have to service that debt so what comes around goes around. It also fuels inflation, the other side is that it increases demand in the economy...

I don't believe in all this 'hard work' bizo. Whilst there may be a bit of skill in working out the market, doing a few thousand dollars of work a year to see your home triple in value in 5 years is not hard work or astuteness, it's opportunism.

I think it is grossly unfair that some people have 200 pound mortgages and others have 2000 pound mortgages, the income factor is skewed. A whole class of people are stuffed. I do believe though in the market, paying a few thosand more to win your home is OK, having to pay 10 times your income is ridiculous.

The people doing the hard work are the young people saving for house deposits and salaries to pay for the work of those with the housing.

Badge

Merlot

Hi Badge

You seem one of the rare ones out their with a heart and thought for others. Thank you for your honesty too.

From what I see it is only going to get worse, for the most we are breeding into our children this huge greed, ownership and money grabbing at whatever cost.

I have spent a week alongside a 13 & 14 year old (my sisters who I took on holiday) and their friends and it has been an eye opener the attitudes they have developed from their upbringing - the world owes them a living.

So agreed on this "hard work" bit, heard it so many times, why people can't be honest and say hey I got this cash by accident, not planning rather than passing it off as grafting.

The world seems be moving into a sad state of affairs.

M

ozzieeagle

Re the Attitudes of younger people. As a parent of two young adult daughters and two primrary kids, I'd say It's mostly the parents that instill these beleifs in their offspring.

My older two, really do seem to think they should have it all, Even Daughter No2, who is a very hard worker, cannot restrain her spending, she is a massive consumer of disposable goods, and never seems happy with what she has got. I think as My wife and I worked so 'full on' early in their lives, what with a home business as well as two full time jobs. We used to buy them things at a drop of a hat, just to keep them busy and satisifed, and I guess quiet.

We've realised this, the younger two, have it a lot harder than their older sisters, Seem to appreciate the smaller things in life. Plus I've got to admit if we do make a big purchase, Say a surround system, or a O'seas holiday, We tell them quiet clearly, We only got this through Working hard.

I think the crux of it was, Even though we were working extremely hard, when we had the older two, We used to laugh the hard work off, with a carefree attitude.

Anyway It's a possible pointer as to what maybe happening in some parents lives.

Simone

I think my parents did well with me, mostly
When I graduated from highschool they gave me a ticket back to Oz, to visit my old friends etc. The rest of that trip I paid for myself.
I paid for my scooter myself. Holidays above age 16, when went with friends.
Didn't get a car until was living with Pascal(paid ourselves obviously).

My parents had enough money when I was young, though never heaps(moved to often and at wrong times to make money on houses, actually lost money instead), but we always went on camping holidays, on site vans, never hotels and airplane flights(except to visit rellies in Holland).

Pascal's parents did well too, though Pascal is a bit more 'materialistic' than me, buys more like cd's, dvd's, guitar, expensive REM tickets(was good though!). I'm working on him though, we're saving now to buy a house, though we're still having fun in the here and now, cheap fun(well, mostly), but definetly fun.

Sometimes I want stuff, but I hardly even buy on impulse, and if I do, I deeply regret it and learn from it. Last year I wanted a 4WD, as some of you may remember.... luckily didn't get it, as would never have been able to afford a house this year already!

I hate the idea of having to borrow money, have always learnt to save. Don't have a credit card, I don't see the point when I have savings.
Actually we have one with our Dutch account, but it actually just goes off that account, not as credit, and only use it when buying online or when you need to give a credit card number(like reservation for caravan park).

Have now learnt that when we buy a house, smartest thing to do is pay the mortage of asap(though will still be at LEAST 15 years!). We have one small cheap(and dented) car right now, and we will drive that till it will go no more, and only buy a car when we can afford to get one with savings(not sure how that will work when all savings go to mortgage, but anyway...).

Anyway, that's the plan, we'll see what happens!!! :scared:

Merlot

You are so correct with this, the other way round in my families case as me and my Brother have good work ethics (I started part time work at 13 delivering papers), the younger 2 sisters (by over 20 years younger) get away with everything and are bought off for a quiet life. Not good. You see it all the time over here.

The youngest one said to me last week when I asked her what parts of the countryside has she seen, she said she has been there 3 times????? Aged 13 nearly 14????? When I was her age my dad whisked us off at every opportunity but his pressures were a lot different money wise I suppose and he is slowing down now.

She also could not use a knife and fork properly which stunned me as I was pro by aged 3!!! As she is my half sister it is not my place to start critising her Mum (who I love dearly) or upbringing but a sad indication to the lack of our next generation. And this is my family!!

Hey ho and all that.

M

Merlot

Well said Simone

Ditto everything you have said there, just like our life.

Shame they don't teach this at parenting classes or to kids at school of how to survive. The loss will be in future generations.

M

Amazulu

I have no qualms about making money on the property market. Pensions are sh*te. We've done well. Property is the only way I can see us being able to retire early & comfortably & it's gonna give a great start in Aussie, we won't need a mortgage. If this means that someone cannot get on the property ladder because houses are too expensive, then that's the way it is.

JackTheLad

If you have kids, then at some point everything you ever made on the property ladder will have to go to give them a leg up onto it.

And so the cycle goes on, except every generation is getting further and further into debt.

Cheers,
JTL

Merlot

I am with JTL on this, it is fine for yourself but the long term impact is greater.

For example, my FIL has 5 properities dotted around Ozzie and he passes away and leave them to my hubby (worse case the cats home ). Now, we either hold onto them and rent them out, pushing possible first time buyers out of the market or sell up and live a nice early retirement on the proceeds. The only person to win is us - the old "I'm alright Jack Syndrome".

As time goes on the younger generations get restless and want a piece, they can't have it unless their parents can help, the worse case is the divide between haves and have nots gets greater. Then the debt things get hotter.

The have nots then get pee'd off so up goes your insurance premiums as your lovely home is robbed, your fancy car has been trashed because these folks don't see why you have and they don't, they get angry. Anti social behaviour goes of an all time high. People care less about each other.

An ever decreasing circle I see ahead and not great.

Merlot

worzel

Bugger! I rewrote that several times so as not to give offence but obviously didn't manage it. Nursenancy gets my drift, I think - what I meant was jobs that employers struggle to fill vacancies for whether they are dirty, dangerous, located away from population centres etc etc.

We do the same in the UK. A farmer in Herefordshire wants to build a TOWN out of portakabins with doctors, shops etc so he can house temporary workers (mostly) from Eastern Europe to pick strawberries for him so we can buy them cheaper in Tescos. I also read that a bunch of daffodils you buy in the UK for £1 would cost you £3 if it wasn't for the illegal (in this case) immigrants working for a few quid a day picking them.

Amazulu

This is all fine in theory. How are you going to provide for retirement?. Pensions are crap & getting worse. Reality is if I don't do it someone else will. I'm just a small guy trying to do the best for my family. It's happening, nothing I can do about it, I'm part of it.