Zoomf Blog - UK Property Blog.

If you’ve always fancied a fairground in your back garden then you’re in for a treat, if you don’t mind a property that comes with baggage that is. Most people would like the idea of living in the former home of an international celebrity, but when said celebrity is creepy no nose Michael Jackson you may not be quite so enthusiastic. That said, if you need a home with space for elephants to roam then you probably won’t find a better pad than MJ’s ‘Neverland’. And who can resist year round Californian sunshine?

The childhood star is having his 2,900 acre former home auctioned off on the 19th of March outside the Santa Barabara County Courthouse, assuming he doesn’t pay off his debts of $25 million in the meantime. So if you’re in the area, why not pop along and place a bid! Goodness knows how much it will go for, estimates for how much it was bought for in ‘87 range from $15 million to $30 million. Oh, and the upkeep at it’s peak was a princely $4 million per year!

The property/amusement park was once Michael’s pride and joy, but as he’s so keen to turn down work (he turned his ‘nose’ up at a $30 million dollar string of London concerts) he obviously isn’t too sad to see it go.

It’s actually my birthday on the day of the auction, but I don’t think Neverland is quite on my wishlist.

Technorati Tags: Real estate, Property, Michael Jackson

You could wallpaper your entire (rented) living room with newspaper clippings concerning tumbling property prices. But realistically, to the first time buyer, property prices are still pretty high and many have resigned themselves to a life of either paying rent or living with the ‘rents.

Assuming you are one of the lucky few that have saved up enough pennies to not be put off by new mortgage restrictions such as Nationwide’s 25% deposit scheme, then you may be wondering just how to go about the whole process.

In light of the current hullabaloo about all things fiscal, ThisIsMoney have put together a nifty guide for first time buyers to guide you through the maze of mortgages, fees, stamp duty and the costs that quickly build up once you’ve moved in. There are plenty of good guides like this online, but this one was published just today so it’s bang up to date with the current climate.

And there are wise words at the end; just because house prices are falling, it’s not always wise to rush in and buy. For some people it will be better to stay in rented accommodation and save up a bit longer than to try and battle the high mortgage rates right now.

Read the guide here.

Technorati Tags: Property, Real Estate, First time buyers, Mortgages

Of course you do! No longer does your bitching have to be confined by your four walls, you can now make your views truly public thanks to rottenneighbor.com. It is, of course, an American site (we’re far too prudish to have conceptulised such a venomous site) but it’s appeal is global and everyone is welcome to report naughty behaviour from any corner of the world. A quick search in London shows that a few bad eggs have already been outed, luckily my street is so far troublesome free although I am desperate to report the annoying couple in my building who always snog in the lift.

You can pinpoint the offenders house on a google map and there’s a lively message board for more detailed discussions. The idea is that you can find out more about a neighbourhood before you buy in the area, but if you report all the noisy people on your street what are you going to do to local property prices?

The first thread I clicked upon happened to be a woman in Texas reporting an ‘adult actress’ that makes ‘movies’ in her garden, far from deterring people from the neighbourhood this thread has sparked much interest from the boys (who are even asking for photos). Who knows, this complaining lady may actually be boosting interest in the area, at least in the properties with windows overlooking the busty lady’s garden anyway!

Use this site with caution, it is definitely entertaining.

Technorati Tags: Property, Real estate, Neighbours

No, it’s not the name of ITV’s latest prime time offering, it is in fact the sad reality our country is facing as more and more of our talented workforce up and leave.

The UK has won the disappointing title of having lost the highest number of qualified professionals in the world to other countries, more than one in ten clever Brits have taken their skills elsewhere and now 3.247 million Britons live abroad. The level of people packing up and getting out is at its highest in 50 years.

But is it surprising? The weather’s rubbish, housing and taxes are extortionate, and we can’t even eat Lucky Charms for breakfast (why they were taken off the shelves we will never know). There is a fascinating set of comments on the Telegraph Blog relating to the story, but they should be read with caution - they will make you want to book the next flight out of here!

The loss of skilled workers has never really been a problem in the UK because we’ve always had them replaced by people migrating here. But it seems that even the migrants have had enough now, and the Poles at least are seeing better wages and a stronger zloty back home and are heading back fast.

The consequence of a loss of migrant workers won’t be a pretty sight for the Brits that do stick around to see the results. They’ve been successfully holding down wage inflation and their absence could have very real inflationary pressures, at a time when we’re petrified of inflation as it is. Buy-to-let investors will certainly not be impressed.

So if you’re young and articulate, perhaps with a medical degree or engineering qualification, what should you do? Well the good news is that first time buyers are managing to take advantage of the falling house prices and have made up the largest share of property purchases last month since October 2006. First time buyers increased their market share from 13% in December to 14.5% in January.

It will probably always be rainy, but at least housing is becoming that little bit more affordable.

Technorati Tags: Property, Real Estate, Migration