Houses for sale

[Kaz]

Oh gosh Jo, that house seems perfect! I wonder what's stopping them? As you say, you can't interfere

I do worry that none of mine will ever own property. Chris is 43, single, and living in a ridiculously expensive area. His job pays well, but as a single person he's never been able to save for a deposit whilst paying a high rent. We'd like to help more, but can't do it for one when we can't afford it for all three

B's field of work is low-paid, and she's not very good with money anyway She started along a course of expensive dentistry - gum surgery to improve her slightly gummy smile, followed by veneers - then announced she was unable to pay for it all without borrowing! She used all the money her granddad left her, (I was cross, as that was a nest-egg) and we lent her the rest as she was turned down for finance We weren't thrilled, but as she'd already started the treatment we couldn't really say no She would need to meet someone with a decent job, and a head for money! No sign of even a boyfriend at the moment, never mind a life partner, and she"s 27 this year I think she's too comfortable here.......

Harry will probably struggle to live alone, or hold down anything other than a low-stress, low-paid job, so.........

[JoM]

Kaz, I imagine the deposit that Chris would need would be eye watering

How long is Becky’s treatment going to take? I can understand why you’d be annoyed!

I’ve honestly no idea what’s going on with these two. Shannon moans about living at home and Tom’s definitely outgrown being here, it’s been fraught ever since he came back from university and that’s coming up for 4 years this Summer. Like Becky, I wonder if they’re just too comfortable, Tom’s 25 and Shannon will be in June. Shannon doesn’t have to pay anything, everything is done for her. Tom was paying £50 per month, reluctantly, and then John told him last Autumn that seeing as he was saving for a deposit he could stop paying (which annoyed me because even with saving he’s got plenty of disposable income, they’re not making any sacrifices in order to save).
It’s easy to think that in that case he can do his own washing etc but that would make more work for me because I know that he’d stick a few shirts in the machine, switch it on and leave them and next time I came to do the washing I’d have to empty his stuff out. And he’d put it on the clothes airer and leave it there or leave it drying in the airing cupboard. This is the voice of experience, I’ve tried this with him

It’s sort of putting Shannon’s parents in limbo too. They want to move back to Surrey, they moved to Derbyshire for David’s job around 15 years ago but he’s now retired. Judi’s parents are both still alive but are very elderly and not in the best of health. She also has a brother who is in residential care and she worries that he’s not getting the attention from family that he needs now their parents aren’t able to have him home for visits, plus she wants to be around more for her parents. But, they can’t do sell up and go while Shannon is still at home.

[Kaz]

Yes, I totally "get" how you feel Jo. They get to an age where they really ought to be out of the parental home. Sounds like T and A are just both too comfy with the status quo, and B definitely is. She does pay a reasonable amount of board, but nowhere near what living away would cost her

With B the big issue is cleaning, she is terribly messy! The bathroom is the big bone of contention, I have to nag and nag to get her to do it, and then she gets on her high horse - and boy is it a high one It was beautiful when Mick first did it, a couple of years back - last week while he was off he had to do some of the grouting again, near the bath, as she hadn't been cleaning it properly. I know I could do it, but a) it's not my mess, and b) she complains about her privacy, and that I move stuff!

Mick and I don't use that bathroom, and H only cleans his teeth in it, as he prefers our shower cubicle Her bedroom is apparently a tip, I never go in there, for my own sanity, but M occasionally sorts Noodle's food and lamp out when she's away and he says it's pretty bad

Her teeth are done now, they look great but then they bloody well ought to, we are talking very high four figures I had been toying with the idea of a few veneers myself, to improve the "arc" of my front teeth, but we aren't made of money, especially now Mick will soon be retiring

[JoM]

They’ll all get a huge shock when they have to pay their own bills.

Tom’s room is very untidy, it’s hard to actually walk across the floor without treading on something, Joe says it looks like there’s been an explosion in there. When he was at university though he was so strict about tidiness, he used to phone me to moan about the couple they shared a kitchen with in the halls with in the second year. Even if we dropped in unannounced his room was immaculate. Same in the third year when he shared a flat with Shannon and their friend Jake.

He shares a bathroom with Joe, and I do clean it to help Joe out. He keeps his stuff tidy and picks up towels but it’s not fair on him to have to do Tom’s share too. I’ve hidden the clean bath towels though. Every time Tom would go for a shower, usually morning and night, he’d get a new towel out and there’d be a load of damp towels left around his bedroom.

[JanB]

I think you're both going to do the tough love bit and kick them out.

All of ours had gone by that age, although Paul did come back for a few months, until we'd had enough off him and his spending what he should have been saving, in the pub.

[Kaz]

Jo I totally understand about the bathroom and Joe, it's not his fault is it? xx

I was out at 17 Jan, but times have changed, rental is beyond expensive and she earns way below the average wage. Besides much as she irritates me, so I rant a bit , I don't want a huge fallout with her. Most of the time we get on really well, and that means a lot to me as my relationship with my mum was really difficult.

[JoM]

It’s good to be able to rant here actually Kaz, keeps things more harmonious at home

I left home at 20, we bought a flat with a tiny deposit. It’s so much harder now, prices are ridiculously inflated and houses are being snapped up within days with several over the asking price offers on the table.

I was talking to my hairdresser the other day, she and her boyfriend are looking to buy in Wolverhampton but everything they’ve enquired about viewing, pretty much as soon as it goes on the market, is already under offer. They can’t even get to view anything.

[Kaz]

It's mad, isn't it? Chris didn't have nearly as much choice, he said, as he did last time he moved, so the rental market must be just as bad

[Kaz]

I was a home owner at 19 (Steve was a decade older) but imagine that now! Unheard of.

[JoM]

Been talking to our neighbour this morning, the one whose house recently went up for sale.

They had five asking price offers on the day it went on the market so it went to bids and accepted the highest which was £20,000 over the asking price . They refused one as the person wanted to use it as a rental property.

He said the people buying it are a really nice middle aged couple. They’re moving to the village of Penkridge, about 3 miles away. Their son’s recently started at the high school there, he was at the private school in Cannock but they weren’t impressed with it since he’d gone up to secondary so they’ve moved him to a state school.