woodyinoz

no Atkinson and Keene.

Did you come to Aus in the end??

What is your take on house prices in the area. I have found that there is a vast difference in the villages around Newbury compared to around Andover! We where going to settle around the Ball hill area/ Woolton Hill way but it makes more sense to head towards Thruxton with the price difference.

r.bartlett

No we stayed. various reasons which would take a wee while to get through but all in all pretty glad we stayed..(although ironically one of the reasons I stayed is my first daughter was here -and she now lives in Brizzy!!)

We're on the top of Andover rd in Wash Common so you would have been close for sure.;-)

A good friend of mine is a builder/developer and he say's prices are still firm. If you're greedy then it will stick but leave some in for the next man and it'll sell no probs. On the other side of town there is a new complex of 100+ houses and most have sold off plan so it's healthier than you'd think/expect.

The reason why Andover is lower is that no one particulary wants to live there (I know I have a lot of relatives there and I'll be there in the morning visiting!!)

It's the old catch 'good house/bad area 'v' bad house/good area' ie stump up the cash as Newbury is much nicer ;-)

Cheers

Richard

woodyinoz

I have to disagree about Andover, it is very freindly and a great place to head to in the evening. Some places like Kings Arthur's are bad but then again I wouldn't choose to live in Nightingales. After living in both places for a few years each I actually prefer the villages around Andover. I have found Newbury rather snobbish where Andover is more still small town.

We used to live in Saxonfields before heading out here. I hated estate living and that scares me about many of the UK places that are being built. One of the reasons that I avoided living in the burbs around Melbourne, unfortunately there is very little choice if you require a job in IT.

chance to be

i live just outside Cambridge and we bought a 3 bed, 3 storey for 230,000. A few doors up (3months later) the same house is on for 225,000. OH not happy as not sure about buying here in first place. i just tell him its probably a really bad condition inside
our neighbours some director of something in the building industry and he says its an unpredictable time. not much help....
c

miss piggy

How long ago was this ?Are you still in Perth now or back in the UK ? The Cambridge prices are pretty scary - just so many people wanting to live aroound there with the improved rail service to London & good schools etc.

chance to be

im in the uk. i bought in newmarket (10 miles from Cambridge) 3 months ago. OH wasnt best pleased. he reckoned our house was the overpriced one, not the one on now being underpriced but I actually thought that ours, seeing as its town centre and near to Cambs, wasnt a con.
how about you are you in cambs?
c

miss piggy

Used to live in Saffron Walden & the in laws are in Cambridge - now we're in Sydney

BadgeIsBack

I agree with this, much is said about estates in Australia, but the UK has been doing it for years too. I'd would always want to stay in a village in the Uk but you pay the premium, and then again for more than a 3bed semi.

Dan725

Have a read of this:

http://www.housepricecrash.co.uk/

Some scare mongers on here, but you can see they market is way over extended (much more so than the early 90's) in terms of affordability house price to income.

Basically, as has been said, its much like index funds - buy and hold long term, and you will make money for sure, but if you buy at the peak, you may be down for years. Its towering high at the minute, the interest rate just went up, a few more of those and there will be your problem.

r.bartlett

I have been a fully paid up member of HPC since 2001 and it cost me @150k!! (I sold up in 2002)

so as the message hasn't changed since then - apart from the date ie 'the great crash' of 2001/2002/2003/2004/2005/2006 now its definately 2007...-at some point in history it will quite possibly be correct

Cheers

Richard

BadgeIsBack

good to hear a real life story about HPC. I bought in 2000 at what I thought was an obscene price. I was dead worried, too and even as I was signing the mortgage was telling the agent I was bound to get burnt (in terms of -equity). As it happened the mortgage was very affordable. I sold in 2003 at 50pc profit.

If I had bought in the UK in say 1997-8, my life might have been completely different, but I'm glad I didn't.

r.bartlett

Well when I say 'cost' it's all reletive. I bought in '99 at 112k. sold in 2002 at 220k and it went last year for 365k. So heyho

Cheers

Richard

eurotramp

Never mind the 108k you made in 3 years

r.bartlett

No flies on you are there sunshine..??

I simply had absolutely no idea I had 'made' 100k -somehow I thought Natwest made a mistake when my account went back in the black!!. Still I can now stop worrying about them taking it back again.

Many thanks for your insight

Cheers

Richard

eurotramp

I'm just reacting on you statement.. In my view you have not lost anything but made 100k...