rent.

[na§tee]

no, not the musical. the monies.

just inspired by nata's living together thread and the cost of livvvvving - a thoroughly scientific survey to find out how much in rent / mortgages all you lovely people cough out each month. i know it's probably not a sensible idea to include rents and mortgages on the same scale, but hey. all i'm interesting in is your outgoing sum. the poll is private to save you having to discuss your financial situation if you dinnae want to. oh, the prices are per month, btw, and in great british pounds / united states dollars. convert your currency (http://www.xe.com/ucc/), bitches. oh. that was meant to be an eek face. woops.

what do you think about property prices and the cost of living in your area? if you own your own home, when did you get it? how does it make you feeeel, man? if you're not on the property ladder yet, does this cause you any sort of anxiety? are you pissing your pants you may be renting aged 60 surrounded by feral kitties with no pension or kids to look after you? WELL?

discuss. please.

[mikizee]

The 2 bedroom house, well homette/courtyard home I'm renting right now just sold for auction at $310,000 on the weekend.

I have to move out November :(

Sucks, I really really like this place. Nice tiling, big rooms, decent yard and stainless steel kitchen, only 3 yrs old.

Gay.

[trailerprincess]

My mortgage payments are currently roughly in the middle of the poll options. But in my next place I think I might be paying about 4.5 times that which is a little scary but it's because I am not used to having the income I have now and so the thought of that money going out is a shock to the system. As long as I keep getting similar jobs to the one I have now, I can afford it (she hopes) :eek:

Property in my area is very expensive, mostly because it's generally nice and a real commuter belt for London and Brighton so the prices are always going up. I bought my first place when I was 24 I think. I was lucky to get it at an 'ok' price for the area and because it was a shit hole before I've been able to add value with new kitchen, bathroom, carpets and generally removing the orange and blue stripey wallpaper throughout (yum) I've just sold and made a nice profit which is a great feeling. I loved having my own place and to me, once I had been able to save some money for the deposit, the cost of a mortgage and running a 'home' was basically the same as if I had rented. It just made sense to me.

[camo]

Well my rent is £600 at the moment but I've just bought a little place for £140,000 and the mortage repayments are roughly the same. i just figured why pay someone elses mortgage whenI could out myself in crippling debt instead (y)

Oh and it's my mortgage alone. No partner or parental help. Yes it is a scary feeling incase you wondered

[Yorkshire~Rose]

We pay around £450 per month mortgage. We bought our first house together in 2000 (for £58,000!! Our house has almost tripled in value now)and it's a good job we did because there is no way we could afford to get onto the property ladder now, esp. now we've got the little bairn.

Our mortgage payments are higher than they used to be because we took out extra money to pay for improvements.

[ms.peachy]

London is v 'spensive, that's all I can say. But, we do have a very nice flat, and we are happy here, so I am not complaining.

[Yorkshire~Rose]

Peachy's flat is lush. And i could've looked at those views from the roof all day (y)

[trailerprincess]

I love my flat too and I will be really sad to leave it. But my shoes are running out of space so it's time to move on. Plus, I really really want a garden. Though this house has 120ft of garden which is crazy seeing as I can kill a basil plant in a day. I might put a wall up halfway down and led it grow wild behind there :D

[Yorkshire~Rose]

120ft! You'd better invest in a ride on mower! :D
I can appreciate a nice garden, but i'm just not the gardening type. Flowers in pots on the patio is my limit.

[trailerprincess]

I know. When I said I wanted a garden I was thinking a nice bit of patio and a little bit of grass, all enough for a washing line!!! I don't know what to do about the offer. I might just get drunk and pluck up the courage to put one in.

[camo]

Heres the plot where the apartment is that i've just bought: http://www.magellanresidential.co.uk/Developments/KassapiansBaildon/Introduction.aspx

check out the bathrooms! (y)

[Yorkshire~Rose]

Jealous!! :mad:

I can feel a house-warming coming on...

[camo]

Jealous!! :mad:

I can feel a house-warming coming on...

You'd only get a handful of people in my gaff. It's only a little one

:rolleyes:

[taquitos]

only 275 since we let that guy move into the bathroom

[camo]

lol :D

[bigblu89]

Mine is over $1500, but it's a Mortgage payment, not rent.

[TAL]

just inspired by nata's living together thread

Just want to point out that it was a living alone thread.

[Rock]

over $2k. it sucks because its just a townhouse and if we had moved about 30 miles more out (commute would have been extended about 45 minutes to work) we could have had a single family house with a big yard, more bedrooms, more everything actually. oh yeah, its a mortgage.

[MC Moot]

$780 to the landlord...reasonable for choice location but has jumped yearly,no provincial rent control...I think next year they'll throw down a new floor,paint it and raise it to $1200-1300 bucks...frigin crooks...the market allows for it...(n)

And $600 on a mortgage I split with my brother on the coast...

[jabumbo]

right now i rent in a 6 bedroom place with friends, so my portion of the bill comes to $375 a month which is very dandy.


in my house shopping so far though, i've been looking at a 30 year mortgage rate of about $400 a month. or i could get a 10 year mortgage for $700/month!

most of the places around here are old and very cheap. but i love the city living and older houses are built so much better than most of those new junkers anyway.


oh, and all the places i have looked at are 3/4 bedroom houses

[HEIRESS]

I pay $750 (by myself)
its only a basement suite though, but it is close to downtown so I pay for that. and I have my own laundry facilities.

I should get a home. but there isnt anything I can afford in the area I want. I dont want to buy an apartment. and I want to save up 20 G's in RRSP's first so I can use that as a down payment tax free.
so im gonna give myself atleast another year and a half.

[b-grrrlie]

Peachy's flat is lush. And i could've looked at those views from the roof all day (y)

Not to mention the gardens!!!!

[Helvete]

I pay next to nothing, it's Army though, so doesn't really count.

[Caribou]

I live in a special student appartment and pay 300 euros/212 pounds a month.
My room is quite big (20 m2) and I have to share my kitchen and bathroom with 1 other girl, but she's never home.
In comparison to other student rooms mine is quite cheap, and the location is great too. (Small and quiet village, very safe, near the city, and I have a shopping centre next door.)
Shame I have to move out in june. :(

[venusvenus123]

Just want to point out that it was a living alone thread.
she lives with her puppies...


i live in a house. it's pretty big and it's ours.

we bought a flat in 95. ummm then we wanted a house when we got a wee bairn. our flat more than doubled in value in 5 years. our house is doing ok at the moment. i always avoided paying proper rent. i lived in a council house. then when i met mr venus, we rented a flat from my friend's grandma. then we bought.

property is pretty expensive in london. even in shitty areas.

i love my house. and garden :cool:

i made a very bland contribution to your discussion, i feel.

[TAL]

she lives with her puppies...
I don't get it. The thread she made is called "living alone".


And she lives with 3 cats.

[venusvenus123]

puppies = slang for boobs :D

[TAL]

Yeah, I figured you maybe meant that.

But I was hoping you were a classy lady.

[na§tee]

Just want to point out that it was a living alone thread.
you are a pedantic motherfucker ; )

[hitmonlee]

we pay rent by the week here so i'll calculate it based on 4.2 weeks per month.
so $100/week = $420/month
= 196 pounds per month

although i have three housemates so the total cost of the house is
= 785 pounds/month.

edit: to answer more q's the homes in my area can sell for around/up to 460 000 pounds (1 million dollars!) so i find the rent is good
we have a shitty house in a nice area with large blocks
most people in the area own their own homes

[The Notorious LOL]

$450 ($900/2) for a place with two bedrooms and a dishwasher just outside of downtown in a very quiet neighborhood. I win.

[DipDipDive]

$450 ($900/2) for a place with two bedrooms and a dishwasher just outside of downtown in a very quiet neighborhood. I win.

That price includes an amazing view, wood floors, gated parking, on-site laundry, big closets, a microwave, quiet neighbors, a large storage unit in the basement, and cool landlords. Also, our cats' butts slip and slide on the floors when they run. You can't put a price on that kind of comedy.

[DipDipDive]

And in regards to the renting vs. owning debate, I'm still holding pretty firm to my notion that renting beats owning, at least at this point in my life. I really dig our apartment and the comfort of knowing that it's not my responsibility to replace the water heater if it breaks or pay for a new roof if it leaks, etc. However, I must say that with the real estate market taking such a massive shit, the fact that my monthly rent could be comparable to a mortgage payment for a decent house makes the idea of homeownership pretty tempting...

[TurdBerglar]

how do your cats' asses touch the floor when they run?

[DipDipDive]

how do your cats' asses touch the floor when they run?

Their feets fall out from underneath them when they run on the wood floors because they don't get enough traction. It rules. (y)

[na§tee]

well, i just found out today that my landlords (one of my flatmate's parents) are going to sell this flat in the next couple of months. so we have to be out. this just adds to my growing pot of daily anxiety. it would be okay if it was just a matter of finding some place new with my current flatmates but they are going different places too. one is moving back home and the other is housesitting enough flat they are selling. so now i am facing the prospect of having to live with strangers for the first time in my life : /. eek.

maybe it was for the best. this is an enormous flat in quite a posh area of glasgow, and the rent is £275/month for a room. £50 council tax and another £100 or so in bills on top of that. pretty pricey here. now i have to decide whether i wait until i get a date to move out or just leave now.. (we did not sign a lease) just found a flat in the west end advertised to live with two "self-employed art school graduates" (ha!) and, this is the clincher, "our kitten harri" (!!!) for £300/month - including council tax, utility bills and broadband. HMMM. whattodowhattodo.

[AceFace]

our mortgage payment is about $720 a month. we pay half at the beginning of the month and half in the middle of the month. just makes it easier for us. plus it eventually equals out to extra payments later!

[QueenAdrock]

Not gonna say how much I pay for rent, but it's muuuuuuch cheaper than what I paid living just outside of DC. It's a 2-stop ride to downtown and across the street from the University, so I lucked out. (y)

[russhie]

GAH.

The rental market here is insane. My boyfriend and I live in a 2 bed single fronted place in an inner city suburb, pretty sought after, and we lucked into this place for $1387 p/cm AU. We now have 5 weeks to find a new place, as we need to move out, and are looking at places in a more sought after inner city suburb, for around $450 a week (we currently pay about $350 p/w).

It's gotten so bad that 3 months rent, up front plus bond, plus an extra $80 p/m above the advertised rental wasn't enough for us to secure the place we wanted last time. 40-50 people are going to viewings and bidding on houses - who knows what people are offering landlords.

I almost want a mortgage.

[camo]

the mortgage people are really dicking me about, i'm really thinking about going back to rentsville (n)

[Yorkshire~Rose]

Why - what are they doing?

Think of that bathroom camo!! :D

[camo]

well offering me a 100% mortgage has now turned to a 95% one and I don't actually have the 5% to put down. The swines

[Yorkshire~Rose]

Swines indeed (n)

I heard on the news the other day that they were going to scrap 100% mortgages.

[camo]

OH DEAR, whys that?

[trailerprincess]

I know that the last company in the UK to offer 125% mortgages stopped selling them last week - too risky apparently.

[camo]

it's all about negative equity apparently.

Applying for this mortgage is scary enough (it's just me and I have noone to support me or rely on or have family to bail me out if worst comes to worst), but the high street chains who have adopted this stance have just made it a hell of a lot scarier. (n)

[trailerprincess]

Who have you spoken to? I found IF and C&G to be really helpful

[camo]

Halifax originally and now I'm looking at Skipton. Well my mortgage advisor is at least.

Halifax. Lender of the year for six years consecutive. My. Arse.

[Yorkshire~Rose]

My mortgage is with Skipton. We changed to a fixed rate last year after being on a Variable rate with Nationwide.
I have found Skipton to be very helpful and our financial advisor told us they used 'common sense' when accepting applications rather than just using credit scoring, which many lenders do.

[Kid Presentable]

Forgive the dumb question, but on a fixed rate you're unable to pay excess into your loan? Is that right?

[trailerprincess]

I'm going on a fixed rate and I can pay up to 10% extra off the mortgage each year

[Kid Presentable]

Yeah that's kind of limiting. I can see the benefit with interest rates.

[taquitos]

booooring

[camo]

booooring

How about livining up what we write by singing it in time with your favorite song?





Interest based mortgage payments are £50 less on the flat i'm trying to get. But the long term benefits aren't great.

[camo]

I got the flat with the mortgage from Halifax. I'm just waiting for written confirmation and the solicitors to work their (evil) magic.

(y)

[trailerprincess]

Congrats!! How exciting.

I went to see the (CSI) Miami house on Saturday and was surprised how much I liked it. So I am going back this week to see if I can actually put my things where I would want them. If not, then it might be back to square 1

[camo]

Congrats!! How exciting.

I went to see the (CSI) Miami house on Saturday and was surprised how much I liked it. So I am going back this week to see if I can actually put my things where I would want them. If not, then it might be back to square 1

It is both exciting and scary!!!

Are you buying or rentng that place?

[trailerprincess]

Buying. I have 2 hot favorites at the moment so it's getting tense. It's about a 50/50 split between each house on the friends and family opinions so that's no help at all.

[ms.peachy]

booooring

I know sweetie, it's hard to understand when the grown-ups are talking sometimes. Why don't you have a cookie and go outside on the swings for a little while.

[na§tee]

rent options for me at the moment are pretty piss poor, but i've got a couple of months to find somewhere, so i'm not getting in a panic.

at this rate i doubt i will buy anywhere until i am much older. especially if i go back to university and do a masters/phd, i won't be entering my 'new' career until i am 30. meh.

i am soooooo (more than one vowel = serious) jealous of people who get to live alone or with their partners.

it is strange the MASSIVE ANXIETY i feel about this that previously never existed. i didn't think i would ever give two hoots. now i'm hitting 25 and getting all in a tizzy. it got so bad my mum actually said "listen claire, when your grandparents die.. you'll have some money then". thanks, mum! relying on DEAD FAMILY, great! real pragmatic and soothing! :rolleyes:

so now i feel i have two depressing options if i want to buy somewhere: 1. wait for DEATH (great!) or 2. find some lovely man to move in who can match my salary. neither of these things are going to happen soon. ho and hum.

i bought a lottery ticket on saturday for the first time in years. i got one (1) number.

bum.

p.s. well done camo! : )

[camo]

Buying. I have 2 hot favorites at the moment so it's getting tense. It's about a 50/50 split between each house on the friends and family opinions so that's no help at all.

I didn't really have a choice. I needed it to be on the outskirts of Leeds/Bradford and near a train station (for my girlfriend).
It's a lot cheaper to live in the center of bradford but... well put it this way - if you know bradford, you'll know why I wouldn't feel safe living in the center. It's a shame that people can't get along. It's also a shame because it drives all of the prices (of the properties in the outskirt towns) up. A lot.

p.s. well done camo! : )

Thanks na§tee, I hope all goes well for you. It sound like you've recently been through a bit of a shit patch but your a cool character and I'm sure all will come good for you (y)

[abcdefz]

I accidentally saw my boss' new lease. The monthly rent was something like $5750. :eek:

[hpdrifter]

over $2k. it sucks because its just a townhouse and if we had moved about 30 miles more out (commute would have been extended about 45 minutes to work) we could have had a single family house with a big yard, more bedrooms, more everything actually. oh yeah, its a mortgage.

Us too. 3 bedroom two bath townhome. But its in the city. Mortgage is a little over $2K per month. Seattle is so bloated. I think its one of the only markets that is still growing.

[hpdrifter]

That price includes an amazing view, wood floors, gated parking, on-site laundry, big closets, a microwave, quiet neighbors, a large storage unit in the basement, and cool landlords. Also, our cats' butts slip and slide on the floors when they run. You can't put a price on that kind of comedy.

My bunnies do this too. They can't hop on the hardwoods and their back feet and front feet slip out simultaneously and they sprawl and try to get their footing. My poor babies, they don't venture out on to it anymore.

[Yorkshire~Rose]

Congrats on becoming a home owner camo! :)(y)

[camo]

Congrats on becoming a home owner camo! :)(y)

not just yet...lets wait for all the papers to go through (y)

The champers is still in the fridge, darling :D

[marsdaddy]

SF rents/mortgages are out of hand. Your poll doesn't even come close to rents or mortgages around here.

Right now, as the US housing market is melting down, foreclosures are rampant, and lenders are scrutinizing every loan, things are all good in San Francisco. There is an undersupply of housing and affordable is a relative term.

Some of you may remember the marsdaddy family bought an apartment in SF -- it's a condo in a duplex -- about 6 years ago. Mookie was just a bump then. I'm glad we got in when we did. It's such a sense of stability and one I never had as a kid.

Our original plan was to trade up to a stand alone house but that's been revised. Trading up would require moving away, and we don't want to do that.

The house has been a great savings plan. It's probably appreciated 50% in the past 6 years -- had the market not corrected, we might be looking at 75% appreciation. It's all moot, until we sell, but it's our safety net, nevertheless.

[hpdrifter]

Nice!

Yeah, I tried to buy in Seattle about 6 years ago but I couldn't do it. If I had, I'd probably have about 75% appreciation now even with the market correction.