House prices falling in Britain already!

[A Lark Ascending]

The hill of Tara perhaps. I recall something like that. It's where the high kings of Ireland were supposed to meet.

Irish motorways are quite a new development - some toll based. The main 'motorway' from Dublin to Galway in 1989 was single lane with a hard shoulder to pull across to if someone behind wanted to overtake.

*******************

Last time I looked house prices in the south-west of England were falling quite sharply whereas the East Midlands was holding its own. If that keeps up for a few more years I could realise my dream and return from whence I came (sort of).

[sidewinder]

Hill of Tara - that's the one.

It's the West Midlands and Wales that seems to have been hit bad. Not sure about the SW. No doubt we will all be kyboshed big time, wherever we live.

In any case, house values are a virtual thing. It's only the amount you pay out each month and the balance outstanding until it's paid off that count (assuming your mortgage is in place of course - hardly a certainty at present).

[A Lark Ascending]

More than you'd ever need to know:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hill_of_Tara

And here's an old compilation I have in my collection:

[BillF]

Subsequent visits have shown Ireland to be a building site with estates and individual houses springing up like mushrooms.

This week I saw a contemporary Irish movie (you don't get many of those!) called Garage and very good it was, too. Owner of said rural garage hopes to profit from the increase in passing trade resulting from the number of new houses being built, but slow-witted garage attendant is warned that owner may well choose demolition to make way for a block of flats.

[papsrus]

Talked to my Realtor today (the closing is about two weeks off) and he said he's never been so busy with closings. I was surprised to hear that. Being that our local economy is generally thought of as a "last-in, first-out" economy -- we were among the last to feel the effects of the faltering economy and will be among the first to emerge from the downturn -- this may be good news indeed.

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Talked to my Realtor today (the closing is about two weeks off) and he said he's never been so busy with closings. I was surprised to hear that. Being that our local economy is generally thought of as a "last-in, first-out" economy -- we were among the last to feel the effects of the faltering economy and will be among the first to emerge from the downturn -- this may be good news indeed.

Interesting. Florida gets all those Brits and Europeans buying places over there - I suppose that activity might be increasing due to the low dollar.

MG

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

The super-rich don't seem to be worried, though.

Million-pound property sales soar

Press Assoc. - Saturday, May 10 03:13 amThe number of million-pound properties sold across the UK has risen by more than a third in 2007, research has revealed.

(Advertisement)

The research from Halifax Estate Agents found that 8,257 properties costing a £1 million or more were sold last year, a 36% increase on the 2006 figure of 6,057.

The rise comes despite fears across business institutions of a slowdown in the property market.

More than three quarters of the sales took place in London and the South East - traditionally the wealthiest region in the UK.

The London areas of Kensington and Chelsea accounted for the largest number of million-pound property sales with 961 in total.

Outside of London, Elmbridge in Surrey recorded the greatest number of million pound sales with 335.

In the north, Edinburgh recorded the highest amount of sales with 148 properties changing hands for more than £1 million.

But Wales, with just 19 property sales over the £1 million mark, had the smallest figure.

The rise in the sale of million pound homes contrasts with a 9% fall in property sales over the year.

But despite the huge rise in the number of £1 million homes sold they still only accounted for just 0.6% of all property sales in 2007.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/pressass/20080510...ar-6323e80.html

MG