Son of Taeper

Yes, stats work very well .

I don't think this is a Tory / Labour thing here as it appears to be run by trade unions. Last big experience I recall with trade unions was a 3 day week and fuel shortages that all but killed off the country. True, some people may think that Labour may have been supported by the unions, either way, the country decided they wanted to work 5 days a week and have hot water at home , so the conservatives came to power and we all ended up being able to afford to buy a house.

Most of this stuff is not Prime London and never has been. Hackney? come on guys .. The other drivel with postcodes.... no, even non prime London postcodes are easy to spot and the vast majority do not fall under London. @Free trader 79 Flood Street, SW3 5SU I do quite a lot on my website on history geography and language, but I dont think I need to spell that one out for you

Urrr, if you want state housing what are you doing on this site??? The site is named Housepricecrash for a reason. That said, and as you brought the subject up, Labour had 3 terms to sort the problem and I see little done by there term of office. I was lucky enough to be offered the chance to buy and full employment under Conservatives back in the Thatcher days.. Check your politics out , go figure how many companies went bust under Labour.

I'm not sure Blue badge is relevant Tulip as it has no bearing on property prices ?? A post or two back you also mentioned how disgusting an area looked after an influx of out of towners. As far as the Blue badge goes, entitlement is pretty strict but I guess you need to be disabled to know how strict it actually is. On the out of towners, they may not like your habits either, you need to learn to live with it.

I doubt anyone would ask what you do for a living, you do give a little away when you state your budget is 250-260k though. Are you aware of a thing called Stamp duty?

Crossrail was always likely to boost prices in Reading. Maidenhead was the original termination point for some reason (I I believe it was due to the platform that fed the donkey) Prices rose for a while. Only need to look at Ashford some years back to see why property is in demand . The warning signs were all out there for anyone that cared to look. Either way, Reading (East) does have a couple of large players in IT hanging out @ suttons.

Mmm, should be pointed out that Somerset is not a Shire county, and much less Thailand last time I checked, but I am aware on how threads can get out of control. I should also point out that London is not a shire county. On the ref to Bath, it used to be in Somerset , then changed to Avon, and last I recall was back in Somerset. True, it is surrounded by shire counties though. So, getting back on thread, I don't see how the shire counties can be grouped with gay abandon as they stretch from the south of England, to the north of England.

Do please check out the flood maps. Even if you don't do that, a quick google maps will show a huge network of rivers and streams. I believe it all irrigates the fields for the workers:o)

I guess there may be little advantage apart from money you can earn. True, if you require cheap, you could always move up to the north east to enjoy your family and friends which may lower property prices in the southeast for those that have family and friends and want to afford a property down there. It's win / win for all.

As I recall, the nicest parts were north and west of reading. I chose west side many years ago for a few reasons, but mainly due to work prospects and education.

Not sure if anyone else remembers life as a young adult, but saving was never a prime concern in my day. Guess we had it good back then when we could afford to go to spain for a week. Kids nowadays only have Thailand and Bali to look forward to.

Problem has always been knowing who to trust. I've always said price to sell and a property will sell. That said, there is normally a dip over this time of year in certain areas. Are you saying you trust the agent?

My guess is you never visited Wales, Holland or Belgium. I could understand you saying you preferred one or the other just from the odd picture on the internet, but when you mention Holland and Belgium like they had anywhere near the same countryside as each other I need to question what you want in terms of countryside .

Selling around 2007 was a smart move imo, but there was a bit of other stuff going on then as well. Prices did drop, but the ability to get a mortgage dropped soon after. Job market took a plunge blah blah. Downsize was a way around it for those quick off the bat.