AcedOut

In Cheryl Cole's defence, I actually met her for the first time at Ashley Cole's 21st birthday party a few years ago (my friend is good mates with him). She's a nice enough girl really. A lot more human than most of the 'WAGS' (god, I hate that term) out there. She came across as being fairly reserved and unassuming. I certainly wouldn't put her in the same category as the likes of Roonie's other half, whatever her name is! As a couple, they were not there to impress or get stupidly intoxicated. In fact, it was one of the more civilised parties I've been to in my life. The press just love to make a story out of nothing... Just to add to the name-dropping, I was out at a club in Vegas last weekend and had the displeasure of both Brittany and J-Lo in the same venue. The entourages were hilarious! It was obvious that a lot of Brittany's 'girl-friends' were hired in and she also had her own photographer (anyone else even attempting to take photos was frog-marched to the door!). We promptly left soon after they arrived, at it was an atmosphere killer for us. Celebrity for celebrity sake. I can't stand it. There are very few other countries that are as obsessed with it as the UK. I think it's generally for people that have nothing interesting in their own lives to be getting on with, so would rather follow that of others...

Is it hard to access the roof and not too dangerous to do so? If so, and doesn't require the use of ladders or scaffold etc, then it's just a case of removing 4 bolts and chopping off the coax. There is no power going to the dish, so it's perfectly safe (that's assuming it's a standard Sky dish). That said for ?95, I suppose it's peace of mind. If you call a handy-man, he may be able to do it for cheaper. It's not a technical job.

What Keef said.

Why would you want to leave it there anyway? Surely easiest to take it down?

Lower interest rates only boost the stock market as investors gain less by leaving their cash in the bank. Hence stocks look more appealing vs cash. In the current market, this isn't going to attract new money to the markets. Not just yet!

It's called an editorial. The magazine probably offers one (disguised as a review) upon a decent size advert being placed. This is nothing new. The media world is so corrupt in this way, it's unreal! Journalists will often write good review upon receiving freebies. This happens in across all sectors. Never believe magazine reviews. Especially those that make profit entirely on advertising!

BARA - Why would you want to get out early if it's a 25y term mortgage? Are you looking to get on a lower rate?

Job losses and lower incomes I agree will be the biggest factor in the near-medium term. Already today the job figures have been released, showing a large increase in unemployment. I have a lot of friends that are in jobs that a year ago were seen as good, well paid positions. Right now, they are all fearing the worst. It's very important that the Government's plan works. I am personally feeling rather positive out it, but it will have side-effects also, such as the weakening of the GBP against non-EU/USD currencies. This in turn will increase import costs quite considerably. As interest rates continue to get cut (which I believe is both required and expected), this will magnify the issue (although will improve native loan-paying affordability, such as mortgages). I predict the BoE rate will be 4% by year end. If you've been following the second hand car market, you'll have noticed that prices have fallen significantly! Some of the top marques are now selling at crazy low prices. You can pick up a second hand Bentley Continental GT now for close to ?40k! There are a lot of people offloading their high-worth assets now. Fear is out there and even fear alone will drive down prices, regardless of the true state of the economy. Unfortunately this time around, fear is there for good reason and is only one of the factors. Personally, being a first time property owner on a lifetime tracker mortgage, I'm not particularly concerned about house prices going lower. Assuming I can keep my job and maintain a similar income (a big assumption at the moment), my next property will be a trade-up. If prices come down uniformly over stock, then I'll be in a better position and it will actually cost me less in absolute terms. The best thing people can do in a similar position is to hold on. Oh and all the Government talk of there not being enough housing stock is absolute twaddle! The truth is that there are plenty of properties out there, but not necessarily enough for everyone to become an owner. Rental property is in abundance. It's wrong to think that everyone has a right to own their own property. It's these views that caused the problem over in the US in the first place! These people would never have been able to own their own property had the mortgage repayment not been made artificially cheap in the first few years. In my view, a home doesn't necessarily mean ownership. Harsh perhaps, but that's my view. (Disclaimer - these are all personal views and I may be completely wrong about all of them!)

A few more...

I have around 25 of these as a large power point...

I've a powerpoint with several great cartoons. Unfortunately cannot attach though.

I would refuse to pay for a meal if I had to wait over an hour. That's completely unacceptable. The Bishop used to have a problem with this, but they seem to have sped up their service now.

Omrith is a clear winner for takeaway. I've been through them all over the past 5 years and have converted to these guys within the last few months. I've never actually eaten in though. For eat-in, Tandoori Nights, although I'd like to see their hygiene rating improve.

Plenty still offering 4x+ multiples. Rates will be exponentially higher for higher LTV's, since the lender has to cover the increased risk of the property value decreasing in the current market and the increased risk of default due to job losses, lower future income etc. A 75% LTV will hedge the lender against a 25% fall in the property price at purchase if the borrower defaults and repossession is required (less time to sell, fees, legal costs etc). In the current market, a 25% fall is still feasible, so any LTV loan above this must be able to protect against this -- the only other way is to increase the rate (or to lower the loan expiry, but this is less likely). This has always been the case, but in the current market, I'd expect a similar 75% and 90% LTV mortgage to have a fairly wide rate spread. So if the 75% LTV is offering a rate of 5.5%, I'd expect the 90% to have a rate of at least 7%.

There is now a Bombay Bicycle Club at the bottom end of LL (takeaway only). I've heard great things about these places. Has anyone given then a try?

Cat's can disappear for months. My parents have a male cat in Dorset that will suddenly disappear for several months at a time! I'm not sure if the same is true of urban cats, but with large park areas close by, I wouldn't be surprised. But all the best, I'm sure she'll be back with you soon!

I don't think the salary multiples will change that much, but I do believe that lower LTV's will become the norm. Higher LTV's will exist (probably 90% max), but the rates will be so high that repayment affordability would be an issue. This will mean larger deposits will be required, thus slowing the demand.

Be careful what you ask for - there have been many complaints before about lights that are too bright and shining into front rooms!

Was someone else!?

TLS - Did you take photos!!?

Ant - good point

"I wonder if Gordon commented on sustaining a property market where the average wage is ?30k odd in London and the average house price is ?300k (10x average earnings)." -- You cannot compare two averages like that! The distribution of the two is completely different. Not that it wouldn't be an interesting question to ask though.

Good way to waste ?3m.

People who say "electronical equipment" for example, really winds me up!

Unthinkable, really?