to think taking about how much you've "made" from your property is vulgar and rude

[brt100]

Firstly you haven't made anything unless you move and secondly this money isn't magiced out of thin air - people below the chain have to pay for it by working longer,having 35 year mortgages and having less of a life while they pay it back.

Also its really inconsiderate braging in front of people that cant afford to buy!

I think it was ghandi that said there is no greater evil than money earnt without work

Rant over, just had a friend round and I'm still fuming. Its bad enough at dinners

Yabu

You wouldn't have to replace a boiler though soontobe or fix roofing problems etc etc.
Buying and renting both have advantages and disadvantages.
Op you clearly don't like your friend much. She probably did sound boastful but she probably didn't mean anything by it. Asspmeone else said she may have had a reason to have it valued.

Maybe it is the use of the words too?

I mean it is one thing to say 'my first flat went up a lot so i was lucky that i sold at the right time and i bought my house' and another thing saying every 5 minutes to everyone you meet 'i have made a fortune, i was smart, made x profit, etc'. Especially when you are living in the same house. You havent made a profit just because the internet says that your house worth % more this month than last month. You are not a developer.

ours increased £100,000 in value after we purchased it in 2000. Do we brag? No. It only gets discussed with people in the same situation, ie.weren't we fortunate to buy when we did? etc

YANBU OP. talking about money, especially how much you might have, is vulgar full stop. Especially in the context of dinner parties. It is only remotely acceptable if the others present are Americans, but still. Unfortunately London is currently awash with this kind of talk and it's tedious. I often feel embarrassed on behalf of those doing the talking. It's one thing to discuss with your spouse in private, for example, especially if a house move is planned, but in polite company it's a nono I'm afraid. I also take the view that you can make yourself look like a dick the moment you talk about money - you have no idea exactly how much or little other people have. Thus, if you have more and are bragging you come across as insufferable; if you have less than the other person they probably think you're foolishly indiscreet.

YABU, and bitter.

Had you studied/worked smarter (not necessarily harder) the same good fortune could have been yours too.

You clearly made different life choices, and now need to accept the consequences.

My SIL regularly talks about "the killing" she and DB made when they sold their house in Libdon and moved up North.

What's the big deal? There's alot of people that can't afford a house even here in the states. Me and DH will probably be renting the rest of our lives and that's fine. There's advantages to not being tied down to a house.

What a rude and unjustified post duck.

Me and my dh spent our money on setting up our own businesses. People that bought houses that magiccaly went up in value have no more skills than a roulette player.

I rent and would say I've increased the value of the 1 bed flat I live in. Fully redecorated it thought. Maintained the property, kept it clean, make the garden look nice - we've put in a new shower hose, towel rails, new blinds, little things like that. It was an ugly state when we moved it but that's why it was £1100 a month not the £1500 the landlord could get now. We're lucky it's only gone up a bit in rent. I reckon the landlord could get £400k for it now. He paid £150k a few years ago. He has done sweet FA to 'make' that profit. Nada. Nothing.

I look at the property I'm likely to inherit and the prices are going through the roof. But so what? It means nothing - anything I'd want to buy are also going up.

YANBU OP, and many who own would agree.

Nomama that make sense , I have been lucky enough never to rent privately.

It is all a load of fucking bollocks though - they haven't 'made' any money, even if they sell their house, unless they are moving to a smaller house or a cheaper area, they will be buying their next house at an inflated price too.

Yes medic you are right , I am grateful that we don't have those costs. Tbh I am disappointed we won't be able to afford to buy but I am happy in the house we live in and know how lucky we are to have a secure affordable home.

YANBU if she was boasting. And I somewhat agree with the Ghandi quote.

But I wish more people would talk openly about money - not in a bragging way, but a factual one. Talk about what they earn. Talk about what things actually cost. Talk about where wealth really comes from. Because the lack of easily accessible information about this sort of thing is one of the things that makes it difficult for people from less wealthy backgrounds to make good decisions with about money. So I don't consider talking about money vulgar, to some extent keeping things secret is a powerplay on par with bragging.

I agree that you've only "made" money on a house or shares if you've actually sold them, otherwise it's just pretend money that could vanish tomorrow.
Sounds boring.

YANBU

Many of my friends who have made so much money recently on houses are not smart at all, if there's a big interest rate rise they will be utterly stuffed. I will not then visit them at home and be all smug about paying less for a lovely rental property like they are boasting about how much they have paid off their mortgage in the middle of the recession. I also don't boast to friends who have been made redundant about my brilliant new job. Tact is called for in these situations and some people are less than tactful when going on about their house price increases.

I like to gather information. I firmly believe that knowledge is power. I wish more people would talk about this kind of thing. Then we would all be less reliant on experts who have a financial interest in our decisions.

We also have a family member of dh who is a massive braggart. He is excellent value for money and his ridiculous tales never fail to amuse. Recent gems include the stress of having a property "empire" (he owns one buy to let), his (lovely but very ordinary) two year old's "gifted ness" and how they have decided against nursery for when she is 3 as she needs "proper intellectual stimulus" (this was just after I told him that dd - then 3 - had settled happily in nursery and how pleased we were asshe had some early wobbles) and the number of miles to the gallon his "new Beemer" does (nearly twice what I got out of my Corsa when I had it!)

Just such fun and avoids the awkward silences you often get at family tables at weddings once we've discussed the loveliness of the bride, the weather and who got stuck on the M42 roadworks on the way.

It's funny isn't it when people brag to say how rich they are etc. not knowing that the people they are speaking to are actually more wealthy etc.. and are just smiling and knodding politely...

Had you studied/worked smarter (not necessarily harder) the same good fortune could have been yours too.

I don't agree with the OP but that is a helluva big 'could', Duckworthlewis.

Unless of course you are OP's aforementioned mate and know the finer details of her circumstances?

YANBU to be annoyed with people gloating about their financial good fortune, it's totally crass.

Whether this person did really depends on the context of the conversation. I find everybody is obsessed with property prices atm & it tends to come up a lot. On paper we have done v well on our house and could sell it for $500K more than we bought it for 5 years ago. However, during that time we've spent $250K on renovations, $$$ on interest payments on the mortgage, god knows how much on rates [council tax] and various other expenses associated with home ownership. So I doubt we've made much of a "profit". However you have to live somewhere and I think we've been a bit lucky as well as being a bit smart (mainly lucky probably). I would never have this conversation IRL unless someone asked me specifically.

Well, I'll start with the honesty about what we all earn/discussion about money etc :D

I earn £18k pa. The day where I buy a house and get a mortgage is never going to happen. I rent and negotiate with my landlord. I have a good degree in a difficult subject from a Russell Group university. I am unlikely to ever earn more and as unlikely to enjoy boasting about house prices as the OP is.

Now you, let us know...