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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To think most people don't talk about house prices?

29 replies

crunchymint · 30/05/2018 17:56

I understand if you are looking to buy a house you will be interested in house prices. But whether you are renting long term or in a house you have bought, surely talking about house prices is rare? I can't remember the last time I had a conversation about this.

OP posts:

Chocolate1984 · 30/05/2018 18:13

People in our area talk about house prices all the time. Mainly that they are ridiculous & none of us can afford to move to a bigger house & stay in the same area.

SoddingUnicorns · 30/05/2018 18:15

Not just randomly in conversation no. Although I was when a friend from Essex sent me a link to a house literally identical to ours that cost £650k and ours was less than £160k! It just highlights the difference in areas I guess.

UnimaginativeUsername · 30/05/2018 18:16

I’ve been having conversations with my friend about house prices recently, but only because we’re both buying and selling houses in the same area. With everyone else, I’ve only really talked about houses and viewings (and particularly the one I’m buying) but not about prices. Once I’m moved I intend not to think about any of it for at least 5 years.

Original poster

crunchymint · 30/05/2018 18:16

Chocolate Isn't that a pretty boring conversation to keep having? I don't really see the point?

OP posts:

reallybadidea · 30/05/2018 18:18

Fairly common topic of conversation IME. I think we were chatting about it at work just last week.

Original poster

crunchymint · 30/05/2018 18:20

reallybadidea Why?

OP posts:

ChinaRose · 30/05/2018 18:21

If you're in the market to buy or sell, it's actually beneficial to know current market trends. It can get boring yes.

kitchensinkmum · 30/05/2018 18:23

Only if you have no interest in the subject and everyone around you is obsessed with house prices. It's a strange thing to talk about all the time u less you're house hunting

MayLeaveADentInYourSofa · 30/05/2018 18:24

In my experience too this is a fairly common topic. There is a culture of owning or wanting to own a property rather than going through life renting so it is relevant to most people. I always find it surprising when people don't know or are not interested in the value of property in their area to be honest.

HellenaHandbasket · 30/05/2018 18:25

How is it any different to any other subject? Some will find it interesting and some won't?

Original poster

crunchymint · 30/05/2018 18:26

I am surprised. If you are buying or selling I can see you wanting to talk about it. But if you are never going to own a house or already own one, it just seems a pretty boring topic of conversation to me. Maybe its just me and my friends then that are more unusual.

OP posts:

Original poster

crunchymint · 30/05/2018 18:27

Hell It is boring because talking about the price of something a lot is a pretty boring subject.

OP posts:

reallybadidea · 30/05/2018 18:33

Iirc we were talking generally about the economy, Brexit etc and somebody said it might affect house prices. Led to discussion about whether this would be a good or a bad thing.

Another conversation I remember started because someone said that they couldn't understand why their adult child was renting instead of buying That point of view generated a lot of discussion as you might imagine!

This isn't our only, or even main, topic of conversation, it just seems to come up a fair bit! We live in an expensive part of the country, so maybe that's why.

Echobelly · 30/05/2018 18:34

I think about them a little, but not honestly sure I've had many conversations about it with anyone outside family.

Sunnymeg · 30/05/2018 18:35

Some see buying a house as an investment and they will continually be checking on the value of an asset and talk to other people about it. Wheras our house is first and foremost our home. We will only really be concerned about its value when we become empty nesters and look to downsize. Can I just add, that as a child of the 1960's it would have been considered very lower class to discuss house prices, salaries or how much you spent on food each week. How times change!

reallybadidea · 30/05/2018 18:36

But if you are never going to own a house or already own one

I think lots of people aspire to own a home, they don't just stop wanting to because they can't afford it right now. And if you already own then you might want to move up or down at some stage, so the value of your current/future home is important.

Pluckedpencil · 30/05/2018 18:37

without exception my London friends talk about nothing but work and house prices. I find it really dull and middle aged and have distanced myself from them if I am totally honest.

GeekyBlinders · 30/05/2018 18:38

'Mumsnetter in people like to discuss different things SHOCK!!' see page 5 for details.

DryIce · 30/05/2018 18:38

Like any subject, it can get boring if people bang on about it.

I actually find it quite interesting - I think the rise in house prices ties in to a significant degree with generational issues, political decisions, the change in local areas.

SomebodysNotInBedYet · 30/05/2018 18:40

We talk about with relatives sometimes because it's relevant to our lives. They're surprised we could afford to buy at our age so we talk about the low prices in the area, how we never could have bought in such and such a town etc. It's not exactly gripping but it's just conversation about our lives.

grasspigeons · 30/05/2018 18:40

I don't know anyone that literally talks about house prices. I know people struggling to buy that talk about that, or people moving that talk about the houses they've looked at in their price range. It's not a topic on it's own is it?

SparklyLeprechaun · 30/05/2018 18:48

So far this week it's come up in conversation 3 times - once with a friend who is buying, once in the context of interest rates and once in a conversation about cities we've lived in. Pretty normal topic I should think even if you're not buying or selling.

Witchend · 30/05/2018 19:10

I rarely talk about house prices, nor do most people I know.

The people I've talked about it most are the estate agents when we were moving and the conversation was somewhat predictably like this:

Them: Hi Mrs Witch, just want a brief chat about the house.
Me: Yes, it needs to go down a bit doesn't it, what do you suggest?
Them: Unfortunately yes, what about..?
Me: Okay.

I've only talked house prices with people when it's been relevant-ie they're moving/thinking of moving/would like to move. And even then it's not more than briefly mentioned or commented rarely.

Although according to another thread because I live in the SE that's all we're all interested in.

LemonysSnicket · 30/05/2018 19:14

People in London are always talking about it because of how crazy it is. I wouldn't bother with my friends from back home.

BustopherJones · 30/05/2018 19:25

We’re in London and no one has a house their family can grow into. Lots of people with kids in 1 beds, or families like us with a 2 bed flat with 2 opposite sex children, no garden etc. Consequently everyone is constantly trying to figure out where to move to as most of us can’t afford anywhere bigger in London.

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