The Housing Ladder

[sasguru]

Am I a twat?

Yes. Next.

[contractor79]

But this is where our journey up the housing ladder ends. We are satisfied with our house. It has everything we want, like a kitchen, bedrooms, a bathroom, a living room and a garage for storing stuff. It is also quite affordable, and with our repayment mortgage we find ourselves paying less interest every year. Despite minor pecuniary concerns connected to benchtime in 2009, we have at no time been worried about paying the mortgage. This puts us in a position of considerable luxury. At times of good business and good income, we can celebrate our success by visiting fine restaurants and holidaying in luxurious surroundings. In less easy times we can still pay the bills, and can enjoy giving the house a lick of paint to add variety to our habitation.

thankyou, I enjoyed your post.

Yes you make a good point here, any surplus of earnings is best spent on nice holidays, time off, nice restaurants.... I agree.

I was brought up in a rather big house. Now my parents find it all a struggle to keep up the maintenance, gardening and keeping it warm. They end up only living in some rooms.

I'd only move out of my 2-bed if I got married and had kids as I'm not sure a flat is appropriate to bring up a baby, the crying and baby noise etc, would get on the neighbours nerves.

[contractor79]

Yes. But more importantly, are you a happy twat?

yeah, especially when I'm on the bench. Then I'm a happy doley twat. I can go shopping in the afternoon and no queues. Only asylum seekers, doleys, disabled and elderly to push through.

[sasguru]

yeah, especially when I'm on the bench. Then I'm a happy doley twat. I can go shopping in the afternoon and no queues. Only asylum seekers, doleys, disabled and elderly to push through.

Never mind, God will provide, eh?

[Moscow Mule]

Council estates/shared ownership/housing associations.
Should have tried harder at school, innit?

So home-ownership is not a realistic aspiration for somebody earning an "average" wage.

Fair enough I suppose, most of Europe seem to get away with it and seem to moan no less than us Brits.

I should like to be in Mich's position (housing wise - I'm not after his missus) - but we're not buying just yet...

Aside: Both teaching & nursing are careers requiring a degree - hard to do that much better as school - you get me?

[Mich the Tester]

thankyou, I enjoyed your post.

Yes you make a good point here, any surplus of earnings is best spent on nice holidays, time off, nice restaurants.... I agree.

I was brought up in a rather big house. Now my parents find it all a struggle to keep up the maintenance, gardening and keeping it warm. They end up only living in some rooms.

I'd only move out of my 2-bed if I got married and had kids as I'm not sure a flat is appropriate to bring up a baby, the crying and baby noise etc, would get on the neighbours nerves.

I recognize this. I grew up in a large, old house and came to see the limited value of big houses. The fact that large parts of the house were cold at all times and thus rarely used, the drafts, the cobwebs, the long walk to the bog, the creaking timbers, the nightmarish maintenance and heating bills and so on; all this convinced me that an modestly sized modern house is much more comfortable.

[contractor79]

Never mind, God will provide, eh?

He sure does. I'm not worthy of His grace, mercies and blessings. Faith carries me through the darkness.

[sasguru]

So home-ownership is not a realistic aspiration for somebody earning an "average" wage.

Fair enough I suppose, most of Europe seem to get away with it and seem to moan no less than us Brits.

I should like to be in Mich's position (housing wise - I'm not after his missus) - but we're not buying just yet...

Aside: Both teaching & nursing are careers requiring a degree - hard to do that much better as school - you get me?

I wouldn't like to be in Mich's position - he has an outstanding mortgage as I understand it

I was being tongue-in-cheek about working hard but the point is why do people assume that home-ownership is a basic human right? Like you say most people in say, Germany, which is the richest country in Europe don't own.

[contractor79]

I recognize this. I grew up in a large, old house and came to see the limited value of big houses. The fact that large parts of the house were cold at all times and thus rarely used, the drafts, the cobwebs, the long walk to the bog, the creaking timbers, the nightmarish maintenance and heating bills and so on; all this convinced me that an modestly sized modern house is much more comfortable.

Yes. And I've never understood why people who work long hours need massive houses as they spend so little time in them.

[Xenophon]

I recognize this. I grew up in a large, old house and came to see the limited value of big houses. The fact that large parts of the house were cold at all times and thus rarely used, the drafts, the cobwebs, the long walk to the bog, the creaking timbers, the nightmarish maintenance and heating bills and so on; all this convinced me that an modestly sized modern house is much more comfortable.

Mich is Pugsley from the Addams Family.