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Originally Posted by macafee2

Firstly let me say, if I have upset or offended you i apologise, there was no intention, I was just talking. No one would have got this house for the asking price, too many interested parties with some making above asking price offers.
I dont know about came easy but we sold for £685,000, with all the fees and bills we had to put in a few thousand. If we had not bought this house we would have had to stayed in rented accommodation spending out on rent, in a house we did not like, with views we did not like, with noise we did not like with a garden we did not like, with a garage we did not like, with parking problems, with our stuff in boxes or a lock up 20 minutes drive away and then, how long would we have to have waited, for the right house to come up and for us to have bought without losing to someone that puts in a higher offer? We are mortgage free and have been for 15 or 20 years. We did not like where we were and it was not doing us any good, what price is piece of mind worth? Via the internet we looked at over 3,000 properties but went after about 6 and viewed perhaps less then 10. We would drive 400 miles just to look at one house.
I completely get how you may feel about outsiders coming in and splashing the cash to buy a property but what of the sellers, they could sell to local people. Years ago my wife told me that there were times when I had gone to bed and she had sat downstairs crying not know how we were going to pay our bills, we have been down to less then £1 in our bank account so please don't think I/we have not been broke. Working overtime and working two jobs is how we got by, money not burning a hole in our pocket meant we saved when we could. My children were brought up on jumble sale and car boot stuff. Unless things were interest free credit if we did not have the money we saved for it. I have never had a new car or motorbike.
My last house cost us more to do up then it was worth when we got it but was supposed to be our forever home. Just checked the net, the house we sold in 2001 for £186,500 sold in 2019 for £490,000. A house we bought for £33,000 and sold for about £65,000 is now selling for about £350,000 this is what the house next door sold for in January, this is one way how people move up the property ladder, inheritance is another.
House prices vary across the country and we moved to a cheaper area.

While some people buy to rent, some buy and fall into renting. Two people have their own property and move in together. In case it does not work out the other house is kept and rented out.


macafee2

You didn't upset or offend me Ian and I am glad you have found somewhere that meets your needs and are now settled.I was just making the point that this 'Gazumping' happening across the UK has a knock on affect right down to basic starter homes which become out of reach for many first time buyers.You were in the fortunate position of having sold a property in the south were then able to buy something of far better value for money further north,but in other cases where people want to move locally it again pushes those properties out of their price range.Your new house would have been professionally valued by an estate agent so that should have been the asking price and no more.It would be one thing if those with the deepest pockets only fought among themselves but their actions have serious consequences all the way down to starter homes.I would bring in legislation that properties could be sold for no more than the asking price with an intention of being fair to all.


I mentioned earlier that the government have fueled this housing boom with record low interest rates and stamp duty holidays,the real culprit is the lockdowns which created so much pent up demand.