Basil Brush

Hi Sarah

We're thinking of returning somewhere around the Ribble Valley region - perhaps Longridge (if we can afford it!!), but originally from Blackburn / Accy areas. Ideally we'd move to North Yorkshire as we love the York / Harrogate areas, but we want to put our son back into a familiar-ish environment & my Mum is still in Lancs too, so it makes sense to be near to her.

Our plan is to stay in Lancs for the next 5-6 years and then move to Yorkshire once our son goes to Uni.....that's if we don't ping-pong back to Oz of course!!!! :scared:

Hmmmm....I've noticed that the wages have hardly increased since we left the UK 5 years ago.....which is in stark contrast to the house prices! Blimey...no wonder FTB's can't get onto the housing ladder - cr@p pay and crippling mortgage repayments. Actually we'll be FTB again when we return, but we'll have to work on getting jobs & re-establishing our previously excellent credit rating before we can even think about being a home-owner again.

Sarah

Hi Basil,
I'm from Langho originally! Not too far down the road from Longridge. House prices in that area have more than doubled in the past ten years and yet, like you said, wages haven't really moved. My mum is from Accy, its changed beyond all recognition from when I was a child, almost like a ghost town now that place. My Dad is from Padiham and thats the same way, those places are closing down now - its such a shame really, but small family businesses and shops just can't make it anymore, especially in the North West which doesn't have that much money pumped into it.
I think unless you're a doctor, or successful businessman I don't know what you'd do to afford to live around the ribble valley anymore.
Clitheroe is nice but I've always found the people to be a bit snotty and it has that cement works which pumps out god knows what kinds of toxic chemicals and has one of the highest leukaemia rates for children in the country!
At least we're not going back to living in Shadsworth or Burnley!

Basil Brush

Actually Shad was my second choice after Longridge............just kidding!!

So are you definitely going back to the UK or are you still pondering?

It's taken us 5 years to pluck up the courage to make the move as we keep bottling out, but it's full-steam ahead now and only 30 days til I get back.

We still have days where we feel unsure about going back, but believe that this is just something that we have to do or we'll always wonder. Hopefully going back will give us some peace of mind one way or the other (although there is a chance that we will be equally confused once we're back )

We've never lived in Longridge before, but it does seem to be a nice part of Lancashire and will be handy for work in Preston or Blackburn. Ultimately though, I long to live close to York.....it's a gorgeous part of the country

Shame about the Infirmary closing too - it'll seem strange as it's such a big part of the local history!

theguitardoctor

I live in Lancs, and a decent 2 bed house can be anything from £90 to £200K depending on area....£90k being Chorley town centre, £130K Adlington, £200K Rivington/Heapey etc/ I'm sure there are the odd cheaper ones here and there that need work, but I've been back 2 years and can't get on the housing ladder. Not that I want to now though...looking at moving back to NZ in about 18 mths or so.....

hudd

mate
We are renting a 2 bed house in Oxfordshire and next door neighbours sold theirs for £360k last month. I know whats its like being out of the UK housing market(9 years). I am looking for work in the NW/NE as our limit is £275K to £300k at the tops.

Houses we could have easily affords to buy 9 years ago are hitting £500K+ in SE.

Sarah

Don't know what the future holds for me really - husband is American so there's no pull for him to go and live in the UK, although he does think its a fantastic place and loves it whenever we go to visit. I imagine at some stage I'll go back as right now I can't see myself being in the USA forever - its not that nice a place to live right now unless you're stinking rich or totally into material possessions over quality of life. However I will be interested to see what the mood of the country is like once Bush leaves.
When you say you want to live close to York - do you mean York the tiny village between Langho and Whalley or York with the Minster and everything?

People have been talking about the UK housing market slowing down for years now but it doesn't seem to be showing any signs of waning - I wish it would, and house prices fall so that people have even a chance of owning their own home or are able to move out from mum and dads.

The Infirmary closing was sad, my mum worked there for 13 years - they've moved her and everyone else up to Queens Park now, don't know what they'll do with the empty building, Blackburn really needs jobs with prospects - there's not a lot of places to go working for minimum wage at one of the large superstores thats cropping up around the Ice Arena. All the old cotton mills in Darwen have been turned into call centres for TV Licencing or Cheapflights.co.uk - I doubt they pay enough to buy a house.
The north west needs some kind of renaissance!
Preston and Bolton seem to be doing okay-ish Blackburn needs to catch up.

Basil Brush

Hope you don't mind me asking, but what is stopping you from getting on the housing ladder in the UK? Is it finding the deposit/making the repayments or is it the case that the banks won't lend to you because you have lost your credit rating through leaving the UK previously?

It concerns me how long we are going to have to wait before the banks will lend to us (as we've been out of the UK for 5 years).

Basil Brush

Actually, I'd love to live in York Village, but was referring to the York in Yorkshire.

Where would you go back to if you ever decided to take the plunge?

I agree that the NW badly needs an injection of funds & it seems that the area lacks any big employers these days. Obviously it has always been an industrial area and has been affected by the decline of the manufacturing industry in recent years.

Blackburn has been a dump for a long time and I wouldn't even consider living there, but agree that Preston seems to be doing okay. I heard that Preston recently became a city!

Well I'll be on a plane 4 weeks today , so hope I can find a reasonably paid job somewhere in East Lancs!

theguitardoctor

Hi, it's mainly the fact that we have to rent business premises for my OH's business as a hairdresser. By the time the business costs such as rent, rates and electricity (£200 per month !!) comes out, it leaves us nowhere near enough to think about renting or buying somewhere, even the cheapest of places, so we are stuck in a bedsit over the salon, sharing facilities with the salon (kitchen/bathroom). You are looking at about £90K for a main road terraced house with no parking facilities (I park 1/2 mile away at present), and the repayments would be unmanageable despite the bank's willingness to let us fall into massive debt over extended years etc....they love it when they reposess, they've had payments, and still have the property when you go.....If she gave up the salon, it still wouldn't get us to the point where we could comfortably afford the repayments on £90K....they're just to high with all the other outgoings added on...fuel bills are extortionate here nowadays.

Without business costs, you may be ok, if you can warrant such high prices for such tiny houses...personally I can't justify the cost of them for what you get anyway. And when they all get rebanded for council tax, everyone will get another hammering.