To think these baby boomers are missing the point?

[Hundredacrewoods]

I grew up in an area where house prices have quadrupled since 2000. I consider this an intergenerational equity issue. Whenever the topic of house prices and 'millennials' comes up with my parents' generation, all I hear is how hard they worked and how much they sacrificed to get on the property ladder. AIBU to think that they're missing the point? No one is denying that they worked hard and sacrificed. The point is that if they worked just as hard today, and made the same sacrifices, it wouldn't be anywhere near enough.

"Apparently in 2017 the average price paid for a detached house was £690k. Up from £450k in two years. It’s ridiculous"

In the whole of the UK? I don't believe it.

The average detached house price in England in June 2017 was £359,615.

Stats taken from here

THAT is the attitude that's annoying and it is horrible and it's wrong... to be honest BOTH attitudes are horrible. And wrong.

And I rarely meet either in real life. Mainly on MN. Which may, I believe, be as much a geographical thing as anything else.

But both generations, here if not anywhere else, have spouted some horrible, hysterical crap!

So go on... what is it that Baby Boomers should do?

I'd settling for keeping their mouths shut when people priced out of home ownership put across their concerns, and stopping trying to block every housing development in a 5 mile radius of their own homes.

At least I have offered a solution.. a simple one... just stop measuring your life's worth by your home owning status!

It's also total bollocks, this isn't about "life's worth", it's about having some semblance of security and a fighting chance of retiring without your minuscule pension almost entirely swallowed by rent.

No where I live, not the whole UK That really would be ridiculous

Contracts for jobs are different now as well. A job for life, a stable job isn't as easy to find as it once was - most retail positions are only 20 hours a week for example - some people are agency workers and don't even have a contract. My neighbour was moaning that one of her younger relatives was only offered 20 hours a week work in retail -' she should get more than this' she said. As if its that easy to do or indeed get!

What baby boomers should do is try to understand the reality of the situation and try to have some empathy.
It might change the way they vote, but at the very least it might improve family relationships.

Here's what (some) baby-boomers could do, (obviously this doesn't apply to the nicer ones):

Stop going on about how young folk don't know what hard work is or that they drink too many coffees.

Try and familiarize yourselves with basic economics so that you understand how the housing market is affecting the young.

Stop supporting Brexit.

Not sure why this is ‘Thatcher’s fault’. House price rose far more after she left power. Thank Gordon Brown and the lovely Blair - with their mass immigration immigration of millions and allowing thousands of wealthy foreigners push up massively the cost of London property.

I'm a so called "Baby Boomer" and believe me, in those days in was much easier to get a job, buy a house, pass your driving test, buy a car, pay for car insurance, (or just tag on parents car insurance).
All this was in the reach of most people, you didn't need a particularly well paid job to get any of it.
I really don't know how you "kids" of today cope at all.

My brothers are both in the'baby boomer' category ( i was born mid 60s, i dont consider my self a BB , although i am on the fringes i suppose)
I understand, i get it all. I think that my brothers do ( to a certain extent) although they do have a much more enviable lifestyle and house than I do and probably do harbour the ' i worked hard and had nothing' feelings, but just dont say anything.
My sil has banged on about being ' mortgage free' for years - they did it by moving around a lot, upsizing, down sizing etc etc - but that isn't even an option these days and not everyone would want to do this ( plus the cost of moving has also gone up an awful lot since the 90s as well) and they could afford to move out to cheaper places - not everyone can do this either.

"Not sure why this is ‘Thatcher’s fault’. House price rose far more after she left power"

She advocated the sale of millions of council houses, then promised that more would be built. She lied.

Another thing baby boomers should do is to stop calling people 'snowflakes'.

I get fed up of people whining about Brexit. How exactly will not going ahead with Brexit help the housing market - in fact if loads of EU people go back to their cheaper locations there will be more property available and perhaps an increase in wages as immigration has depressed wages. The government need to address the zero hous minimum wage culture as well.

So... you want Baby Boomers to think differently? Why? What would that change for you? What problem would that solve? Or do you just want them to "Shut up" full stop?

What if their attitude is as based in real life experience as your is? What if they do just hear all the whinging that has been posted here and are sick of it? What if you are ALL unreasonable and whiny?

As for renting for life, yeah, well, that happens, to a lot of people, always has done! Moaning about Boomers, or Boomers continuing to moan, won't change that!

And I did make a longer list of all the amazing opportunities the last generation or two have had that they just seem to ignore - I suppose familiarity has grown contempt!

But I do hope that all this moaning about shit that doesn't make a real difference to anyone makes you feel better. It has to have some use!

I do think that it can be harder to get on the ladder when you’re looking at a straight property price / salary conversion but people need to look at their life choices.

We would be on similar incomes to most of our friends, but we’re the only ones who own. We have a 3 bed duplex with a private garden. Our friends rent similar properties but their rent is 40% more than our mortgage (although our estate fees, mortgage insurance etc brings that difference closer to 25%). The difference is that they spent 5 years going out most Friday and Saturday nights, takeaways a couple of times, two holidays a year, lots of mini breaks, latest model phones, full cable package, late model cars etc. In contrast our phones were five years old (recently upgraded post home purchase), takeout was a monthly treat, no holidays for five years, basic Sky, invited friends around rather than hitting bars and clubs etc. It helped that I was a part time student on top of a full time job, but we had to fund my tuition fees. Now we’re in the door, we’ve got the costs of furnishing and renovating so we’re not rolling in it...

Yes, if you’re on minimum wage, it’s going to be a struggle, but even then, create opportunities to improve yourself.

Another thing baby boomers should do is to stop calling people 'snowflakes'.

Is that a Boomery thing? I thought it was just an MN thing. I've never heard it said out loud and can't say I'd equated it with older posters either!

It's sadly a thing. I work with lots of boomers and it's almost a tic with some of them.
Read Daily Mail comments (or better still, don't) for the full horror.

fafoutis, the Mail comments about any story make me shudder. I do go over the dark side now and again to see what they are saying now and it makes me feel ill - its not all negative, there are a few that speak out , but not that many. its quite a depressing read. i dont go over very often!

And I did make a longer list of all the amazing opportunities the last generation or two have had that they just seem to ignore - I suppose familiarity has grown contempt!

Yes the usual list of technological advancements that boomers also have access to, and is the same for every generation because technology always moves forward, not back. However you can't live in an iPad, and the basic human need of secure housing is fundamental has never really changed.

As for what any of this would change for me - nothing. I already own a house, and am unlikely to ever move. However I'm not blind to how increasingly shit the situation has become even since I bought my house, nor the gloating, posturing and ignorance that typifies many of those who sit on lottery-win sized windfall housing gains through the luck of when their birthday was.

"Young people genuinely believe they cant or wont be able to buy.

Its what we have been told growing up, reading in newspapers, in day to day life. "

So it becomes a self fulfilling prophecy.

I think sometimes it is useful to understand the way people like that think.

garden, thats great for you and its nice to read something positive. well done!
A lot does depend on where you live and your circumstances too. If we lived up north ( for example) maybe my two could obtain a mortgage - on current situation they can't, not for the forseeable anyway. But you have to have hope and to advise and one of my sons is saving up and cutting back on any luxuries etc. he is trying his best as so many youngsters are i am sure.

She and I bought our first flat in 1971 in an undesirable area in South London for £6,500. 3 years later we were able to buy a 3 bed house in a nicer area and then in 1980 we were able to buy our family home 5 beds. We paid off our mortgage in 2005 at which point my dh business had to be sold for little (printing business work had gone to China) so we had to sell up and move 175 miles away to the SW fortunately before the recession.

Times were difficult for several years until we both reached retirement age but we got on with it. Fortunately for our dd she is a teacher and she has managed to buy a house with her husband in their mid 20's having saved very hard but because she had seen what had happened to us she has never been a high spender as she wants security.

Dd is currently on maternity leave but when she goes back to work we will be having Dgc two days a week to support her as we don't want her to have some of the problems that we had.

I was born at the very end of the boom and I do not have nor do I know anyone who has a final salary pension. Or a job for life.
I wish!
And expectations are much higher now. When I bought my 1st flat, it had no heating, the kitchen was in pieces, it was disgustingly dirty, I only bought a bed, fridge & washing machine gradually over the first year. And I fitted my own kitchen which was a nightmare.

I paid £48k and earned £14k (aged 24). My deposit was 6 months income which I saved by not having a holiday, takeaways or evenings out for 3 years.

Just checked and there is a v scruffy flat for sale, same town, for £108,000. If someone earned £30k that's doable.

But on university fees, I totally agree. 6% interest is outrageous and will hurt everyone by stopping people achieving their potential. If I could change one govt policy right now, that would be it.