Where is the best web site to talk about the difficulties of not being able to afford my own home

[divydoris]

For years now I have waited patiently for property prices to return to some kind of sane level where normal people can afford them.

The crazy exuberance and lust for debt and uncontrolable lending led to the tears and pain that many of us knew was coming. But we are now into 2013 and prices are still at high levels, and all that seems to of happened is that rich baby boomers and foreign money has taken up part of the slack, that along with many just sitting it out.

My plan for years now was to wait patiently and just get on with life, I have generally managed to make the most of a bad thing in rented and been quite ok about it. For the majority of that time I have talked to like minded people on a certain web site forum, all of us had the belief that the good times were just around the corner, we just had to have faith.

This has not happened overnight, but today in 2013 I have finally giving up faith to that plan and now excepted that I was so wrong.
I have gone from a person who knew(thought I did) that avaiable affordable homes would soon be with me, to an angry person who now is of the mindset that I will never have my day and that my own home will be forever out of my reach.

I would like to find an internet forum now that discusses the problems many of us have with housing rather than waste time talking about a property crash that just is not going to happen... any ideas?

Housepricecrash?

Probably any property-related website will keep you feeling angry and powerless. It would probably be more constructive to turn your attention and energy elsewhere - social action, creativity, art, music, learning, health, whatever gives you pleasure, satisfaction or joy. They won't get you a house (probably), but they'll give you other rewards. After all, owning property has very little to do with the important things that make life worth living.

@fergoose

Put it this way, I have posted many many times on this particular site and built up quite a following to the already converted. now that my opinion has turned 180 degrees I will not be able to post there anymore (-:
I want something a little bit more proactive rather than just sounding off and hoping for something that will never come

@flow4

I just rubbed out what I was going to say as it might come across as rude.. I personally have many interests including a lot of outdoor sports and pursuits(which is my passion) as well as having a creative side that gets me involved in many other things.

Just because I can still smile and enjoy what I have right now does not take away from the fact that there are many issues and much injustice(IMO) with housing in the UK.

Basically your solution is "put up with it and do nothing" and smell a rose..

I also attend anti war demo's and anti animal cruelty events as well as posting on the internet about it, that also can upset me at times, but is still is rewarding.

Should I take your same advice in these pursuits as well??

I think the best way to protest is to keep hassling your local authority for subsided housing. The alternative would be to claim housing benefit and make yourself unemployed. These things affect the government figures and may have an impact.

Protesting is good, and starting discussions is good, as is getting media presence about the issue with clear facts and figures, examples of good practise, naming and shaming the powers that be.

Speaking to your MP and getting others to do so might also make a slight dent, but in the end governments want to keep prices high for as long as possible and are unlikely to change their minds unless it truly hurts them.

Online protest doesn't count for much apart from raising a little awareness and preaching to the converted.

I think your op did not really reflect your campaigning zeal divydoris - which is perhaps why flow suggested looking for other interests - rather than sounding off about things you feel helpless about.

If you want to change housing policy, the economy, lack of affordable good quality rental, lack of social housing... etc ad infititum... then you need to join a campaigning group or start one up! Owning your own home is a relatively new concept even in this country, in cities it is probably unrealistic/ undesirable as renting a flat for a while makes more sense. I think the Government should expend more effort sorting out the mess of private rentals owned by people hoping to make money and the mess left behind by selling off the council housing stock.

If renting was more affordable,, better quality and less stressful that would solve many problems. The housing market is expensive because there are not enough houses where people want to live/ can get work. Empty houses all over the north east is testament to that.

Yeah, I can see my post sounded like a recommendation to smile sweetly and sniff roses.... But that's not actually what I meant. I do not ever advocate "doing nothing", when people recognise an injustice or something they want to change. I am a campaigner and stirrer myself, by instinct and long habit. What I meant is that internet chat forum involvement - when it focuses on complaint rather than information, support and organisation - is not very good for your head, nor good for changing anything. If you want to work towards changing housing policy, your best bet is probably to get yourself involved with Shelter or the Green Party. If you want to make a difference to people's lives, you can volunteer or join the management committee of your nearest night shelter or CAB. IME too much online participation makes people do less, whereas doing things you love (outdoor sports and creative stuff, for instance) energises people and makes them more likely to actually do something about the things they feel need changing.

I admit, as I approach 50, my plans for changing the world have become more modest. You could say I am a bit burnt out. I put my energies into local action, and no longer really believe I can change national politics and policies, let alone international ones - which housing is, because it is so dependent on, and entangled with, banking.

To be honest, I also believe that if we want to break the appalling power of the banks (and I do), then fewer people should own their 'own' homes, not more. But I am a hypocrite who's about to take on a mortgage, having been debt-free for years, and that's a whole other discussion!

Anyway divydoris, don't stop campaigning, if this is something you feel strongly about. But look out for your own well-being, too. :)

charming!

@flow4

No offence, thanks for the nice reply (-:

I think my biggest gripe, and to keep things really simple and uncomplicated, is that those who deserved/should of been punished after the 2007 financial crisis got away with it.

I do not mean to sound right wing or mean spirted, but the laws of the free market have gone out of the window.

Putting the nasty evil bankers aside, and many of them really should be doing a 20 year stretch. Those who borrowed way to much pre 2007 made the wrong call, but have been protected in various ways.. i.e Government forcing lenders not to lean on bad debters, and there are many of them now or artificial low interest rates. Along with mass immigration and no house building.

Many people that made profits on the false pre 2007 miracle NU-LABOR debacle are today being wrapped in cotton wool, thise of us that were not mugs are paying the price.

ok, you want change. You are very lucky because you live in a democracy and can say what you want, protest peacefully etc. (And a lot of that is because people fought for those rights - think of that at your next anti-war demo).

so get into politics, stand for elections etc etc. You can start at council level, that doesn't need vast amounts of money.

there are many affordable properties around, in lovely places to live. Places with employment, transport, green spaces etc etc.

chat online by all means, but it won't achieve anything.

Ahh, well you raise about a dozen different point there, and I don't see all of them as connected. It probably isn't worth getting into a bit discussion here, because I suspect this isn't the right forum for your views, but I do want to challenge that old myth that 'mass immigration' has affected housing supply.

There were about 200,000 'extra' people in the UK last year ('net migration' - i.e. how many more people came to the UK than left). That's only about 0.3% of the population. The vast majority of these are from the EU, working and paying taxes. There are no official figures about how many house purchases are made by foreign migrants, but it is very, very unlikely to affect overall housing stock. By comparison, about 200,000 Brits own houses in France - yes, that's just in France (not Spain, Bulgaria, etc.) and just Brits (so not all the other foreigners buying houses in France!) - we really do not have a particular immigaration-related housing problem here in the UK!

You can check official migration statistics here.

This document does some myth-busting and gives some clear true facts and information.

bit big

Agree with flow. It's more people living alone, baby boomers still in their large family homes and people buying 2nd homes that lead to a shortage, along with lack of building. Compared to that immigration is a tiny blip.

Interesting to hear Merv King say on the bbc that he was surprised that there was not more public and civil outrage when the crisis began. I remember feeling the same way, and it says a lot about the way we behave as a nation.

I think this goes some way to prove that there is nobody really representing the taxpaying public on this issue, and your online protest is long overdue. Don't be disheartened by people's passive attitude, keep stating your case and you might encourage others to act and shake themselves out of complacency.

House prices is a hugely contentious issue, largely because most of us have a vested interest in keeping prices high. It is intrinsically linked to the financial crisis.

I'm a bit cynical/irritated about some of the issues you mention OP. I am one of the people who borrowed aggressively pre 2007, because I was quite prepared to move into a house share and rent my flat out if my financial circumstances worsened, and I knew that if needs be I'd be prepared to aggressively pare back my standard of living if I had to. I feel that people who did that being branded 'irresponsible' is harsh - they knew like you that there were major risks of both waiting or buying and took an opposite course. You don't have moral right on your side for your own decision.

There isn't enough social housing in the UK, there is growing wealth inequality, and there isn't enough building - that I do agree with. I also think that there is now a big generational inequality, especially in London. I think Shelter might be a good organisation for you to join - many of their campaigns focus on some of problems housing causes for ordinary people. Or retrain to work in housing policy - which is what what of my friends is doing she feels so strongly about it!

I agree with specialsubject, there is affordable housing around, even in London, but people need to be realistic with what they can get. Your first home shouldn't be your forever house...you need to step up, that's why it's called a ladder. Buy a 2 bed flat/house, live in it for 5+ years, pay down your mortgage and try to save as well then you can step to the next one.

DH and I bought in a undesirable area of SW London, everyone I mentioned it too told us not to. Well 2.5 years later we are still here and the area really is an unknown gem. We've just joined the local residents association so we can help improve the area

We won't stay here for ever, probably another 2 or so years but by then we should be able to afford the next step.

Life is a gamble always, if you're not prepared to take one then that's fine but why join an online forum to moan about it?

And flow4, why should less people own their own homes?

The thing is those rundown areas where you find your 'little gems' are getting even more run down as local councils have to cut their services by 25% and more. They were already deprived and now there is no money to keep things on an even keel. There will be more drugs and gangs, more burglary and more abuse and hunger behind closed doors.

The councils are cutting services as a direct result of the financial crisis which was caused by the banks lending money for old rope.