Property as God

Maybe the Scottish edition is worse, but I doubt it. In the western Highlands, the choice is a bit limited. So Rupert's top quality, or at least top width rag it had to be. Actually the Guardian and the rest are more hypocritical really, taking advertising for things that the vast majority of editorial content would disparage or intuitively want to incline you against. But to the Sunday Times of 10/2/08 and the housing bit called 'Home'.

Now I know we're all bottom feeders in the housing market in Hull and we have no idea how the other half live, except they must be down right poor if people on salaries like mine have to spend several times as much as I do on a mortgage... which makes me better off than them.... or I can do other stuff with my money that give it to a rip-off financial institution... oh heavens I forgot, my asset isn't appreciating as fast as everyone else's, the terror of it.

Get to the 'Safe Houses' article! These are the places in the country where you'll buy if you 'want to protect yourself against the market slowdown?' One of the 20 safe places is York. The next nearest is Warrington. Yes, Warrington for Hull readers who think York might be a bit full, which it is apparently. Anyway, a quarter of the tabloid double page spread is taken up with a picture of the Jackson's of York, or not, since it doesn't say where they live. They are doing well I guess; they bought a flat to rent out six years ago in York ; 'an amazing investment'. Now they are buying an additional property, a listed place for over £400k near the Minster. I guess they are in a tied cottage presently, so maybe you can understand it. The picture of the Jackson's has them and their children beatifically framed by York Minster, doing God's work as they are, playing the property market, him an officer in the army, her teaching at an 'independent girls boarding school'. Maybe I'm being unfair, but the whole article is both horribly smug, as is their picture, but subtly fear inducing, leaving you doing what? Wondering if you can beat the trends? Which means someone else is stuffed.

One of the things that killed my brother was the continuing financial problems, that yes he certainly contributed to, but were basically created by the last property values crash in the late 80's that left him owing £20k along with his ex-partner on a house they had to hand the keys back on and dogged him for the last decade of his life of 42 years.

I have personally conspired to have more negative equity than that on a £30k house. How can you do that? Another time. And it's recovered. But if f you are looking to swim against the fear driven tide and are after one of surely the unsafest properties in one of surely the 20 unsafest cities and towns to buy that insurance against, what.... oh yes, the future, then I'm you're man!