Mystic Megs of the property world or folk who like to guess

[LaurieFairyCake]

You have 315k to spend on a property in an area that you want to perform the best over the next year - where would you put it?

It must be easy to sell again in a year.

Now this is just fun (but it's a real problem) - we can't step off the property ladder because we won't get this mortgage again, we are hoping for a great offer on our current place which isn't repeatable. We can't afford to buy something we want so we HAVE to have a mortgage somewhere.

Somewhere close to but not in the flight path of Gatwick. The second runway there seems to be a bit of a done deal (bar the shouting), it's an hour commute to London and the market is still as zippy as London was last year.

Crawley/Horley/Horsham/East Grinstead.

Was just coming on to suggest Horsham. Property still flying here.

Croydon is constantly going up in price - Westfield being built soon etc. Friends buying in the area are queueing outside properties to view and it has been like this for over a year.

London:

Eastern stations on the crossrail route - so Woolwich for starters, but even the further out ones. Whitechapel, if you don't mind something small.

Leyton and Leytonstone.

Another vote for Croydon.

Outside London:

I keep hearing about Hastings. But I wouldn't want to bet anything there that I couldn't afford to lose, cos I'm a scaredy.

Great ideas, having a good old search.

Grumble - is Woolwich not er... challenging still?

Laurie - they just did Woolwich on the Guardian's Let's Move To column. They were very euphemistic about challenges under the cons column...

Thanks, I will google that article.

Initial look at properties available looks fab -2 bed with a patio flat with river views next to the Clipper service!

I really want one next to the Clipper service but Greenwich is a bit out of my reach for a 2 bed

Er yeah still a bit challenging last time I was there... though apparently less so in the Plumstead direction, so may be worth having a poke around that way - I think the housing stock's a bit nicer.

Re-thinking it, if it's just for a year I might do more of a Leyton thing than a Woolwich thing though!

Or Hastings. The hipster-grapevine keeps throwing it at me as a place people are moving to, and it is just insane what you can buy. But it is Hastings. And I'm not sure it'll come up fast enough, might be more of a 5/10 year thing.

How about the Crossrail corridor?

USA.

They are most of there way thru their price reductions, the Fed wil raise the rates soon and they have good economic growth.

The UK, nah.

Try and avoid anywhere where there is a lot of public sector employment, or high levels of tax credit incomes - whihc, to be honets, is all the of the UK.

Post election, there will be a lot of cuts + chickens hatching.

I wouldn't put my money abroad - I'm likely to need the option to live in it next year

Northern Ireland. Prices here crashed in 2007, are currently still 40-50% below the peak, and are predicted to rise over the next 5yrs. Belfast prices rose faster than London last quarter.
High public sector employment but the current lowering of corporation tax to rates comparable with RoI is aimed at stimulating investment from the private sector.

Reading.

Crossrail means prices (which are already high) are set to soar

The crossrail effect

Cambridge

Astra Zeneca moving to the town. It's booming apparently and housing growth is constrained. Saw it on that economy programme with Evan Davis