To feel slightly grumpy at people who have moved to my hometown and made the house prices shoot up

[Pollysoftheworld]

I’m not talking about immigrants.
I was born here. My grandparents grandparents met in the Victorian days in a theatre two miles from my house. Now I have to move out. I don’t recognise my local high street and I can’t afford to shop there. I don’t see how £6 sourdough is a social enterprise. I imagine it’s lovely if you’re used to much higher prices. But I miss my town the way it was.
I wonder if those moving here experienced similar in Brixton, Oxford, Cheltenham etc

My town is the same, my dc can’t afford to buy here and it makes me so sad!

My home town Winchester is like this. London overspill pushing up house prices to a crazy degree. The high street is just a collection of coffee shops and artisan bakeries.

The genuine locals have no chance.

I'm a Londoner, many parts have changed beyond believe.

Whilst I’ve written about my frustrations with Londoners moving into the suburbs, what you’re experiencing is what everyone experiences in the SE. Very few children can afford to live where they grew up and where their parents live as the prices have been crazy over the past few decades and in that time we’ve been priced out.

So whilst I think it’s a real issue with people gentrifying areas - young people in the south east have had a really hard time for a long time in affording property. Arguably harder than those elsewhere due to the cost of houses and renting. Not to mention the higher cost of everything else. It’s ok for those lucky enough to get a well paid job in London but lots of low and minimum wage earners really struggle here.

And people in London will say but ‘we’ve been pushed out’. And that’s true but mainly by wealthy foreigners and not key workers from Hull.
And it’s undeniable that many have really profited from living in London, far better job opportunities and chances for promotion, higher wages. Try getting a job in Oldham that’s not NMW.

We live in the South East and have purposely stretched our mortgage with the idea of downsizing when they’re young adults and releasing equity for them to use as deposits. I realise my generation (40) is very lucky to have been able to buy when prices weren’t as crazy as they are now.

And it’s undeniable that many have really profited from living in London, far better job opportunities and chances for promotion, higher wages.

I'm sure for younger people once you factor in housing costs vs wages they aren't better off vs many other cities.

Tbf try getting an ordinary retail job up here. It’s not easy. I know it’s bad for young people in the south east but at least the economy is growing, there are things like apprenticeships. Public transport is amazing. We live 10 miles out of Manchester but it costs £8 for an off peak return train ticket and will take an hour at least to get in.

The job situation up here is abysmal but our young people can’t even afford to move down south.

I grew up in London. Moved out at 20 because I knew I would never be able to afford to buy/rent in my area. I've never been able to go back there to live. Now areas close to where I moved to are being overrun with second home owners, pushing prices out of reach of my own kids. It's shit.

I live in an area where Londoners often move to. In all fairness I have no sympathy. They don’t move to 3 bed semis. They buy up the fancy flash houses. They use their London profits to out price the locals and live in swish houses.

Are they actually Londoners or people who moved to London and sold a property there?

@Platosrevenge young people & young families are leaving London. I think it's the only city that has gotten older in recent years.

That's capitalism, baby!

Besides, how else would it work? Should someone born in a run down area not be allowed to leave it? Do I have more moral right to my hometown than anyone else?

As for all the bougie shops, around here they exist because they've replaced all the old grocers and butchers etc - which people gripe about not having, but never used to shop there (which is why they closed)...

there are things like apprenticeships. Public transport is amazing.

Apprentices can often get paid peanuts & you will be surprised re public transport.

Yeah of course. That's why I referred to it as a cycle. Arguably I might have moved into an area and prevented someone else from affording a house here.
It's not just a young people problem though. I'm mid 40s, and a first time buyer. For people on limited incomes without parental help the problem of getting trapped renting can be a very long term problem.

And people in London will say but ‘we’ve been pushed out’. And that’s true but mainly by wealthy foreigners and not key workers from Hull.

I don't think people realise how much London has changed. My parents were immigrants, they were not wealthy! Virtually everyone on my street was an immigrant, many key workers. My in-laws are from the East end, on 1 teacher salary they bought a house in Hackney that would sell for more than 1.8m now. But Hackney in the 80s & 90s was very different then..,

When I graduated, most of my friends moved to London. They were from towns and cities all over the UK but the best graduate opportunities were in London. They worked really, really hard (12 plus hours each day) and now are often quite well off and have bought a modest property in London. In this context, I do have limited sympathy for those that haven't particularly tried to better themselves and have never really pushed themselves but just think they should automatically be somehow allocated the same housing that others have had to make huge sacrifices to afford. I know on MN we have to pretend that everyone works equally hard and it's just luck that makes some people better off than others but my lived experience tells me that this often isn't the case and to be honest, it does a complete disservice to those that have pulled their way up the ladder despite the odds being completely against them.

There is nothing wrong with choosing a simpler, easier or even just more fulfilling path in life but pretending that this won't have consequences and others making different choices won't overtake you is nonsense.

I do have limited sympathy for those that haven't particularly tried to better themselves and have never really pushed themselves but just think they should automatically be somehow allocated the same housing that others have had to make huge sacrifices to afford

Regardless of jobs or work ethic, my friends who managed to stay in London had financial help (including me) to get on the ladder. The ones who couldn't live at home for free or have a cash gift have had to move out.

Oh definitely. We bought in our mid 20s, first 2 bed house was £180k and we had saved £10k each for the deposit. Now the same house is £325k.

Once you start renting, there’s no hope in saving. Rents here for a 3 bed house are £1.5k plus. It makes me angry that people who earn less and have to rent get trapped with higher monthly payments than those of us lucky to buy young. The whole system is deeply unfair and unethical.

Not everyone can access university, graduate schemes or internships. Not everyone has the support and guidance to know that there are well paid jobs in London.

Honestly, it’s not fair and a lot of it IS luck.

Who can afford to live where they grew up these days.

it’s a time old argument

Good question. I don’t know honestly. Potentially a mix.

Know what you mean OP.

I was brought up in a 2 bed top floor flat in South London in the days when East Dulwich was fractionally better than a slum.

I now have a 5-bed, 4 storey, Victorian semi in a small market town in S England.

If I sold my house today, I could not afford to buy back my parents flat.

Good question. I don’t know honestly. Potentially a mix.

It's frustrating we all get tarred with the same brush.

Reminds me of the covid threads when people were saying all the Londoners were coming to their village, etc. Rather than rocking up randomly, they were probably from there & going back to their parents....

@Bumpitybumperso a couple, one who’s a nurse and one who’s a social worker, shouldn’t be able to buy a house in a nice place? Because we haven’t worked hard enough?