Lizziedjango

That is a very childish response to PeckhamRose, considering so many of your postings are so inflammatory on here. 'Vileness of Peckham'? Can you explain how that is appropriate on this thread? Is it 'vile' because it is economically disadvantaged and ethnically diverse? If not, please elaborate.

No the solicitors don't always charge you if the sale doesn't go through indiepanda. And yes, I think most people are politer(?) - more polite - to the solicitor than the agent. It isn't rocket science why.

I agree with Asset. When I sold my house the solicitor at William Bailey, Lordship Lane got just a few hundred pounds and the estate agents got thousands for really doing very little. More often than not, I had to show people round the house as all the agents did were ring me up and tell me there was a viewing and 'could you show them around please?' I am sorry to see any business go bust, but I am less sympathetic towards certain businesses going bust....to be honest, there were/are far too many estate agents in East Dulwich and I will be glad to see some go.

Sounds like a reel shame the shop doing that. The shop owners sound rather shelfish, and must think us locals were prawn yesterday. I have been in the shop and found it a tad small - one is squeezed in like sardines.I don't mean to carp on - and I hake to say it, but all this talk of fish is getting a dab silly! I am now laughing so much I am having problems whiting, and my leg mussels are aching from sitting at the PC for too long. I am waiting for someone to throw in a 'Red herring' to divert the conversation. Even I am floundering now. I'm going to listen to some music. I'll start with Sea eeled with a kiss and then Sole Train. I love that tuna. If you want something better to do then theres a good film on tonight with Pike Lee and Skate Moss in it.

Quite agree with casamac. The music is great on a Saturday night, and the place draws quite a nice crowd. It's one of my favourite places to go in the area too.

I don't think the Zoopla estimates are 'weak at best', they seem to pretty much cover the current costs of local properties and are close to estate agents' predictions too. Incidentally, a property is only worth what people are prepared to pay for it...and there certainly isn't much selling locally at the moment. I hope Jeremey is right and that local terraced Victorian houses don't drop below ?300K, but I fear they will. Rental prices are already down. I am gobsmacked to see 1-2 bed flats being advertised for between ?1300-1500 a month. The owners will be lucky to get that. I've seen massive (and rather beautiful) 4 bed houses being rented out for ?294 a week (or ?1274 a month) just up Forest hill Rd in between ED and Forest Hill/Honor Oak way. I certainly wish local property prices weren't dropping like stones - but I have it on very good authority that they are. We are obviously living through the worst economic crisis, and it is very likely that prices will come down a good 50% further. Most financial experts have predicted further drops of between 30-50% nationwide, with London being hit hardest as our prices had increased the most. I wish it wasn't so. I am desperate to get shot of my house and move out of London - but I'll be lucky to get renters at this rate. However, I do have a very low mortgage so could, and will probably have to, drop the rent to around ?1000 a month (for a 3 bed house!!!). :(

Jeremy, I have zero sympathy for people who thought they'd make a killing by indulging in the buy-to-let business. Pure greed.

AD, the average London full time wage was, tis true, lower in 1998 at about ?500 per week compared to about ?880 a week during 2008. However, goodness only knows how this average wage will drop in these very uncertain economic times. I certainly don't earn anywhere near ?880 a week, despite being professionally qualified etc...etc. Even if you are earning the average full time London wage of ?880 a week - roughly ?46,000 a year you will only get a mortgage for three times your wage now, as the banks are so wary to lend to anyone - so what will you get for ?138,000 in London I wonder....not a lot. You'd be hard pressed to find a 'orrible bedsit in Penge for that currently, so what would you get in ED for that? Not a lot. I see prices coming down significantly. By the way, the East London line tube extension is not going to East Dulwich (it is remaining a train station only). The tube extension is going only via Honor Oak and Forest Hill......

The ED housing market has almost certainly not reached rock bottom yet. The terraced Victorian houses are only worth about ?120-140,000 so still have a fair way to go down. Whoever bought into the ridiculous notion that they were worth over ?500,000 needs their head examining - and the same goes for those people who risibly bought 1 bed flats for around ?250,000. Property will probably revert to reasonable levels as it was in 1998. You could buy a Victorian house then off the Northcross Rd for ?120,000. That was still a lot of money, and more than three times my wage, but suddenly their price rocketed to ludicrous levels. I feel some sympathy for people who bought ED properties during 2007 when they were at their unsustainable peak. These properties are now worth heaps less. My own house has dropped ?100,000 off what it was a year ago, but that is because it was valued far too high. It is still not worth what it might - if I was lucky - sell for now. I am expecting it to come down at least another ?50,000. But my mortgage is low, and I never over extended myself, thank god. Incidentally, you can tap in a postcode and see what a property is worth now on this website. I have been quite nosy and looked up several friends and colleagues' house and flat prices. http://www.zoopla.co.uk/

It's the Norway spruce that I have got. It has lost a few needles, but nothing too much as I am watering it every day. The smell is lovely; when I have bought expensive ED trees the last few years they haven't smelt of anything at all. They were at least 3 and a half times the price of my current tree. Yay! B&Q!

I'm with *Bob* re B&Q. Bargain 6footer for ?9 which smells great. I've had it a few weeks now and it is still going strong.

Thank you for making that point.

Exactly ChavWivaLawDegree. And Peckham Rose, why do you want to know how long I have been contributing to this forum? All I have done is express my disgust that anyone would take the P*** out of a local business being the victim of an alleged armed robbery.

"Beep beep, here's the offended bus." What is that supposed to mean???

I think that last point is very unnecessary. If indeed the Blue Mountain did have an armed robbery I feel very sorry for the people who work there. I would be traumatised and terrified if I was the victim of an armed robbery. And anyway, the prices are not THAT high compared to some ED establishments I could mention. I hope everyone who works there is OK.

not sure what baby socks have got to do with the expensive organic bakery!

I don't rate the bread in Morrisons at all!!!! Much better in SAinsburys.

...and they were small too jumpinjackflash. Very small.

Good post Gerrard and most informative.

Applespider, I also found it annoying that there wasn't a price list. And yes, what are 'Gail's loaves'. Also where is Blackbird Bakery where loaves are ?1.50? (Yay! That's more like it).

I am surprised Curmudgeon! I never bought the bread outside Moxons, and didn't realise they were one and the same. You're right that for those kind of prices the bread should be utterly divine. I will continue to buy my 'organic' rye bread from Sainsbury's. It is very nice and costs ?1.29. I would like to support small local businesses, but I find it takes the p*** a bit when some of them assume we all have money to burn. As I say, I will pay for quality but not over the odds.

Just went in there today (the one next to Moxons and Franklin's Grocers) and had a fit to be told that a small loaf was ?3.50. I don't mind paying for 'quality' but I thought that was really expensive. Small baguettes are ?1.80. The bread looked nice, but is it just me who balks at paying those kind of prices. For a very small organic loaf I would have thought ?2.50 max.

Yes Jeremy my 6ft Christmas tree from B&Q did cost ?9. It is brill and smells beautiful - I already said on another thread how my expensive ED trees over the last few years never smelt at all of pine.

eh?

Happily I went to B&Q Old Kent Rd this afternoon and got a super Norway Spruce tree for ?9. Yes ?9. It is 6 ft high and smells amazing. I have bought similar trees in ED the last few years for ?35+ and they haven't smelt of pine AT ALL. I wasn't the only person from this area snapping up one of these trees either. We all lamented the fact that the street sellers in ED were selling quite expensive trees. Michael Palaeologus you are quite right, I saw TINY trees in Northcross Rd fort ?25. They were so small. My tree is well worth the ?9 paid. It looks great up.