Talking of mental house prices...

I was surprised to find Mansfield is actually a much cheaper area than Stoke!

Rightmove and Zoopla both put Stoke cheaper on average, although both are very cheap relative to the UK as a whole.

The problem I tend to find with property is that the differentials between a not-so good/average area and a good/very good area are massive- even when the areas are in the same town, city or county.

In Nottingham, the price of a terraced house can vary by a factor of four depending on area. Sometimes there is only a few miles between these properties (which I acknowledge makes a huge difference, especially in a city).
 
It's better to buy the worst house in the best location rather then the best house in the worst location
That said I would not go for either extreme
I personally bought a 2 bed flat for 250k in the center of Leeds. I could have got a lot more for my money out the center but would have meant buying a car, paying fuel, insurance etc. the travel time every day and parking which is a small fortune. Instead it's I now have a walk to everything and I rent the parking space out for £130/month
i came down here from heckmondwike 10 miles from leeds paid a lot less than half that but i suppose its not a place to make money ,more to come to when youve made the money ,in my case just paying off a mortgage in 9yrs on a modest semi that moe than doubled in price ,this is the bottom garden but has 2 more and outbuildings

whxngl.jpg
 
i came down here from heckmondwike 10 miles from leeds paid a lot less than half that but i suppose its not a place to make money ,more to come to when youve made the money ,in my case just paying off a mortgage in 9yrs on a modest semi that moe than doubled in price ,this is the bottom garden but has 2 more and outbuildings

Hopefully over a few years it should increase in value and I may move out to a bigger place with a garden. For now though I still love city center life and its convenience, I have family that have gardens so can at least escape to their which isnt too far away. Likewise family and friends can come to stay at mine for a city weekend break

p.s. Look like a nice dog :) (Something which you can't really have owning a flat in the city)
 
leeds has some great countryside around it ,used to head to temple newsome and eccup reservoir
yeh dogs over 15 now struggles with walking harness is worth its weight in gold also bought an ex rental bike trailer for kids ive converted for him ,turns from trailer to buggy
yorkshires great but the lifestyle down here is epic if your into outdoor things ,
walking to polzeath here

2ci781g.jpg
 
These reasons are why the UK MUST HAVE HS2.
I argue a lot about housing costs given I live in London but in my opinion one of the biggest contributing factors to expensive housing in this country is the cost of our terrible railways. Once you have two people in your household both working in London it simply doesn't make sense to both commute for 1hr+ and pay >£4k/yr to do so. Add onto that the state of the railways in general and you just do not get value for money. If our railways were a lot cheaper and reliable then you'd soon see house prices fall in London for example.

I remember talking to my colleague who works in Frankfurt. He commutes there from outside of Cologne which I'm sure he said takes much less than 1hr to do >100 miles. But more importantly, it's a super-cheap ticket and it gives free travel across the whole Germany for him and his family. Now that is value for money.
 
I remember talking to my colleague who works in Frankfurt. He commutes there from outside of Cologne which I'm sure he said takes much less than 1hr to do >100 miles. But more importantly, it's a super-cheap ticket and it gives free travel across the whole Germany for him and his family. Now that is value for money.

Even more importantly they are reliable and on time almost to the second even.
 
Once you have two people in your household both working in London it simply doesn't make sense to both commute for 1hr+ and pay >£4k/yr to do so. Add onto that the state of the railways in general and you just do not get value for money. If our railways were a lot cheaper and reliable then you'd soon see house prices fall in London for example.

I remember talking to my colleague who works in Frankfurt. He commutes there from outside of Cologne which I'm sure he said takes much less than 1hr to do >100 miles. But more importantly, it's a super-cheap ticket and it gives free travel across the whole Germany for him and his family. Now that is value for money.

That would cost him about 4k a year too and I suspect his commute is closer to two hours... the train from Cologne to Frankfurt will be a bit over an hour then thrown in travel to the station and to the office the other side.

The grass isn't always greener, I suspect you could have a shorter commute at similar expense from somewhere outside London too.
 
That would cost him about 4k a year too and I suspect his commute is closer to two hours... the train from Cologne to Frankfurt will be a bit over an hour then thrown in travel to the station and to the office the other side.
Well it was about a year ago I went to their office and had the conversation with him but he certainly didn't seem to suggest it was that much, nor that long. But hey.
 
Easy come, easy go....

There's an old helipad in my garden which is a reminder about the previous owner, inherited crazy money and (allegedly) spent it all on parties and chopper trips to London!

He did do up the house nicely though :D
 
Even more importantly they are reliable and on time almost to the second even.

I’ll give you no argument there, DB run a fantastic service.
When my elder son first married his German girlfriend, and moved there permanently, I’d fly into Hannover, or Düsseldorf, and rent a car to get to their house, in Bielefeld.
After a few years, I’d had enough of tearing along Autobahns, it was bad enough spending all day driving a taxi around London, without driving around Nord Rhein Westfalen after getting off a plane.
I learned enough German, that I could ask, “Fährt dieser Zug nacht Bielefeld?”, if they said “Nein”, I’d let it go, if they said, “Ja”, I’d get on it.
One freezing cold morning, my kid dropped me at Bielefeld Hauptbahnof, and I went to the correct platform, and waited.
After a while, a red and white sign replaced the Nachst Zug, (next train) sign, it said SPATER.
I phoned my kid, and asked him, “What does SPATER mean?”
He said, “Literally, it means later, but if it’s at the station, it means delayed.”
That was the one and only time I ever had a delay in Germany, it was around ten minutes.
 
i came down here from heckmondwike 10 miles from leeds paid a lot less than half that but i suppose its not a place to make money ,more to come to when youve made the money ,in my case just paying off a mortgage in 9yrs on a modest semi that moe than doubled in price ,this is the bottom garden but has 2 more and outbuildings

whxngl.jpg
See to me that view is worth more to me than a million pound house in London.
 
Shock horror to see Kensington and Chelsea up there.

SHHHHH.... let the idiots in London pay the prices and rip themselves off, while they live in little hamster cages, surround by another 8million idiots!!!

Lots don’t live in them to be fair.

I live just north of London and it is ridiculous how much we paid for our house vs. what you get. Unfortunately in our field of work we can only earn this much being in London or Dubai. Dubai is tempting tbh.
 
Recently bought a new build 4 bed detached in Derby for £250k. Derby is significantly more expensive than where I was in Longton (Stoke-On-Trent), yet I commuting 40m to Derby each day was a waste of my life.
I am now at the end of a shared drive. Ihave parking for 3 cars (4 at a push) all on my plot, plus 1 more in the garage.

I do not understand why people bother staying in the south. Derby has a brilliant amount of industry and the housing is reasonable. It's all about that sweet spot for a salary:housing cost ratio.

Houses in Stoke start at 50k, where the minimum wage is exactly the same as in central London.

As much as I love Manchester the South has a much better climate than the North.
 
See to me that view is worth more to me than a million pound house in London.

I have a sea view from my bedroom, lounge and study and can be on the beach in less than 10 minutes walk. I can be in the midst of the countryside and mountains where you can see nothing but green within 15 minutes on the bike. 3 beds, 2 gardens, driveway and garage. All for 100k and change :o

Just can't see how/why people can put up with paying London (or even South) prices
 
I have a sea view from my bedroom, lounge and study and can be on the beach in less than 10 minutes walk. I can be in the midst of the countryside and mountains where you can see nothing but green within 15 minutes on the bike. 3 beds, 2 gardens, driveway and garage. All for 100k and change :o

Just can't see how/why people can put up with paying London (or even South) prices

Horses for courses I guess, I can be on Tower Bridge after a 25 minute walk from my house, which is 75 metres from the Thames, London’s my home town, and it suits me.
The only green I like is dollar bills, I’m not interested in sea views and beaches, if I’m in Miami Beach, you’ll find me under the shade of an umbrella outside a bar, on Collins Avenue, or inside, enjoying the a/c. :p
 
I have a sea view from my bedroom, lounge and study and can be on the beach in less than 10 minutes walk. I can be in the midst of the countryside and mountains where you can see nothing but green within 15 minutes on the bike. 3 beds, 2 gardens, driveway and garage. All for 100k and change :o

Just can't see how/why people can put up with paying London (or even South) prices

I’m literally living ON the beach, I can see mountains from my opposite window, I can rotate my whole home to change my view, someone else manages the gardens and it’s 20 degrees. If the weather looks bad I can move the whole thing to another country in an hour.

It also cost me zero. I don’t know why people bother with houses at all :-P
 
Back
Top Bottom