As if the removal of 100% mortgages wasn't bad enough news for first time buyers in Scotland today's news that house prices North of the Border are the only part of the country where they are continuing to rise, thus the Scottish bucking of this trend only makes matters worse.
So not only is it becoming harder for those of us not yet on the housing ladder to gain financing to do so the amount we're needing to raise for that percentage the banks now require continues to rise. Added to this the fact that most houses in Scotland are sold as offers over and the lottery of trying to become a first time buyer in Scotland continues to be harder than for most of the rest of the UK under the current credit crunch conditions.
When you add on the fact that our fuel bills, food bills, travel costs etc are also rising at level above the rate of inflation don't talk about the credit squeeze so much as the wage squeeze. Plus today I got my new wage packet partially under the new tax policy and find that I'm also marginally now worse off at the start of the month as well. It's becoming harder and harder for many of us to afford to live where we want to, to go to the work that we want to, and stay on top of all our bills.
Yet all the while Gordon Brown says the economy is his sole focus, that he doesn't want to be diverted from making "unpopular" decisions. Yet somehow the Government owned Northern Rock has yet to pass on the latest interest rate cuts to its shrinking number of customers that the government is demanding other lenders pass on quickly.
Gordon Brown is clearly seeking a role as Dooh Nibor, the outlaw who steals from the poor to give to the rich.
As someone who's trying to sell a house, I can assure you that the market is markedly slowing here in Ayrshire. We have had a number of viewers but nothing like what we would have expected given the size, location and price of the property. It's a good job I don't have to sell before I can move to Kinross-shire. I blame the media for talking us into a potential housing "crash" - they have been battering on for months now about a looming housing crisis.
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