The Exodus has begun!
- Thread starter HEADRAT
- Start date
People have been leaving London for years, no shortage of rich foreigners available to snap up property in affluent areas and inflate the prices, this is partly why 44% of the population there are ethnic minorities... British people don't want or can't afford to live there.
I visited our London office (not far from the Gherkin) last week in preparation for reopening and it was dead, hardly anyone was on the trains and the streets were eerily quiet.
Personally I prefer this, one of my least favourite places to visit usually.
I visited our London office (not far from the Gherkin) last week in preparation for reopening and it was dead, hardly anyone was on the trains and the streets were eerily quiet.
Personally I prefer this, one of my least favourite places to visit usually.
Soldato
- Joined
- 20 Oct 2002
- Posts
- 11,792
- Location
- Derby
But if everyone moves to the country won't they just create a new city there?
Well there are already plenty of cities/states that do not have lockdown restrictions, violent rioting and looting etc so I would assume that is where they will move to. Joe Rogan is a prime example of this. He states his reason for moving lockdown restrictions, mass homeless on the streets, lack of freedom, overcrowding on top of the massive cost of living in a place like California thats current benefit seems to be its sunny quite a lot. Seems like a sensible decision to me, if you can do your job and have access to areas by short flight etc then why not?
Are companies losing out over home working though? Seems like they could save a bundle on office rent, cleaning, insurance, etc. A few people I've spoken to have told me they don't expect their employers to bring them back to the office before Christmas and one has even said they're giving up their office entirely to let people work from home permanently.
The one maybe good thing about COVID seems to be that corporate eyes have opened to see that the 5/2 model of working in an office is outdated. You can get more done without the hassle of a commute and have a better work/life balance.
It's a bit traitory is it not, millions still live there yet he thinks he's above it all, not much morals imo. But then I've never had his money so who knows what I would do.
Most people still want to move 'out to the country' yet be within commuting distance to do 1-2 days per week in the office. So the commuter towns/villages surrounding London that were already rising in price faster than central London in recent years, will continue to rise. Maybe then idiots will stop saying our broken housing market is a "London problem".
For me, the only thing I like about working from home is being able to get up later. I really miss the social aspect, I miss the commute amazingly (time to myself for music/podcasts) and it's just easier to do your job face to face with people. I also need to visit studios/productions out west of London quite often so I'm in a strange position of needing to be, well, right where I am right now. I'm in zone 3 and noticing a lot more small houses coming up a lot more affordable than they used to be. I'm sure the crash is coming. All it needs is for the foreign buyers to decide London is not a place to park their millions in property, and it'll crash harder and faster than some sort of rude thing that I can't think of right now
Most people still want to move 'out to the country' yet be within commuting distance to do 1-2 days per week in the office. So the commuter towns/villages surrounding London that were already rising in price faster than central London in recent years, will continue to rise. Maybe then idiots will stop saying our broken housing market is a "London problem".
For me, the only thing I like about working from home is being able to get up later. I really miss the social aspect, I miss the commute amazingly (time to myself for music/podcasts) and it's just easier to do your job face to face with people. I also need to visit studios/productions out west of London quite often so I'm in a strange position of needing to be, well, right where I am right now. I'm in zone 3 and noticing a lot more small houses coming up a lot more affordable than they used to be. I'm sure the crash is coming. All it needs is for the foreign buyers to decide London is not a place to park their millions in property, and it'll crash harder and faster than some sort of rude thing that I can't think of right now
So giving the chance the country is more desirable to live in than the city?
City people would find country living boring imo, nothing happens, just run of the mill stuff, no action, fewer services on your doorstep.
Are companies losing out over home working though? Seems like they could save a bundle on office rent, cleaning, insurance, etc. A few people I've spoken to have told me they don't expect their employers to bring them back to the office before Christmas and one has even said they're giving up their office entirely to let people work from home permanently.
The one maybe good thing about COVID seems to be that corporate eyes have opened to see that the 5/2 model of working in an office is outdated. You can get more done without the hassle of a commute and have a better work/life balance.
I was thinking more of the businesses that do the cleaning/insurance and also the breakfast/lunch outlets that rely on office workers walking past etc.
A number of close friends are working from home pretty much all the time now, and they have found themselves more productive and actually doing more work than before (in terms of work completed, not time it takes)!
Fair point, when I think back to some of the offices I've worked in in cities you can barely move for Pret A Mangers and coffee shops!
I'm from Oldham and can confirm, cheap houses.
B
sunny? Last time the sun was out here there was mass panic in the streets and air raid sirens
I just did a Google Search of Oldham, and the first picture is literally a street in Oldham covered in Snow
I've got family in Manchester, and I've always been a bit tempted to make the jump up there (currently live near Gatwick).
I do fancy living in the countryside, yes. But although I love doing that for a weekend (we just had a weekend in Somerset, staying at a pub with great food, great walks etc.) I fear I might get bored with the limitations. I love the fact that within a 3-4min walk I have about 5-6 pubs, 3-4 independent coffee shops, a local grocers, a butchers, a few restaurants and that's not even including if I walk 10-15mins into town 'proper'. Like everyone, it's all about balance...
Personally I think that humans are a social species and we'll never get away from that. Therefore cities will always thrive, people will always want to work with others in person.
Both mine and my girlfriend's company's have said they're expecting to WFH until the new year. We don't really have many friends this side of London, and we have no car. So really we only have ourselves for company which is a scary though for another 4-5 months! I don't fancy only speaking to her and the neighbours indefinitely!
Associate
- Joined
- 8 Jul 2005
- Posts
- 1,575
I think its opened a lot of managers eyes. My bosses boss never liked our office being empty as it "sent a bad signal" if people came looking for some of us, we are second line IT support. But there are good reasons why no-one could be sitting at their desk, meetings, seeing people, lunch etc.
But in a recent Zoom call he admitted that his attitude had changed seeing as we are all working from home and being just as efficient as we always were.
I considered this. I think if there's a reasonable sized town close by you can get the best of both worlds. Admittedly, I'm not exactly moving to the countryside proper, but it's a world away from a London Borough. Can be in Reading in 15 minutes and still a few takeaway options and pubs...but nothing on Deliveroo
Associate
- Joined
- 8 Jul 2005
- Posts
- 1,575
I do worry about this. We had a new starter who started about a month before lockdown, she lives alone and is desperate to come back to the office. You do miss that interaction with people, overhearing conversations both work and non work related. You hear about projects, problems in passing that you would never get in an email or zoom call.
House prices go up and down
We might even see -10/15% after the Stamp Duty holiday ends
But if you're waiting around to cash in on a half price London apartment then you might be waiting a long time
The UK housing market is one of the safest long-term investments there is
We might even see -10/15% after the Stamp Duty holiday ends
But if you're waiting around to cash in on a half price London apartment then you might be waiting a long time
The UK housing market is one of the safest long-term investments there is
And it will continue to be until the boomers are no longer in power, no matter what party they all have skin in the game
We need to kill BTL, abolish section 21, bring in a land value tax, overhaul council tax as a proportion of property price (stops homeowners wishing for price gains) and we might actually start to get somewhere in stopping UK property being seen as an investment vehicle.
Lets hope that these cocky knees take their new home as it comes and not start moaning about farm machinery -cows - chickens -scramble tracks -clay shooting - off roading and expecting to have a lay in on sunday morning.
It's not all wine and roses.
It's not all wine and roses.