Nooz from the Izdom of Iz...Prosper in austerity.

Not always about petit moi or doinz here. A mix of all and more besides, all gets bigger as we progress together. The last few days I have been cornered by what Churchill called the "Black dog of despair". Caring about others can be nigh on mortifying. The problem I address at present is sad to say now referred to at home as the "British Disease". A tootle on me little bansuri, variations on a theme of "Study war no more", didn't cheer me up much, nor did it assure me that folk back in the Blighted Isle have any kind of handle on the other stuff... whatyoucallit... Y'know, a life without fear and abject hopelessness... the word'll come, work it out. I see a lot of comment from U.K. on why house prices go down. None have really taken on board a small but basic home truth that prices go down when folk don't want to live there and are desperate to leave in a hurry.
There are less people willing to buy in as a lifetime investment in good faith than folk who wish they could leave. The Folly of families regarding real estate , their domestic homes, as a strictly financial investment will become obvious in time.
"They backed the wrong horse there," sez I.
"You've got to speculate to accumulate..."
"Clichéd , regurgitated self deceiving carambis" Never gamble with your luck.
If you borrow against it you will be taken from all sides. The Gombeen man has got you surrounded. He can see you coming.
A business that is sponsored by borrowings against the house is a business that is more likely to fail with virtually no risk to the lender. Be warned.
A small business that has to bear the familial burden of greater domestic insecurity is hardly going to be performing at optimum efficiency. Home is where we recharge. With yer batteries being drained you will doubtless be charged a higher interest rate ostensibly to cover the lender's risk.
Home is our security against all adversity. Our personal collateral base. The non- fiscal reserve. The intrinsic value is priceless.
A lesson from Thatcher's time Second chance businesses set up with redundancy money ,Many borrowed to bolster the hopeful enterprise using homes as security, it was a receding market, a growing recession.Double disaster the hard won redundancy money was tied to a business underfunded. As the goal posts were moved back,the working lifetime of investing in the home was then put at risk. The market didn't stop receding. Interest had to be paid on loans, conditional grants clawed back when workforces were rationalised. Profit margins shrinking overheads rising the hopeful invested assets become a static liability. Lenders called in loans withdrawing the confidence of the bank. Local friendly helpful get to know you bank managers were overridden by centralised dictat.
30,000 homes a year are said to have been repossessed at the height of Thatchers era. Banks can't hang around waiting for sales to improve they have there own businesses to run. Vultures stripped the bankrupt stock. Homeless jobless families without even the consoling benefit of the redundancy money they had earned from previous long service. House prices plummeted bought up by speculators .Rented out for social security checks,housing benefit. The new ever growing market leader . The Gombeen man is ahead of the market. He will buy your discount house with the interest payments ? you will then be able to rent your old home at greatly increased cost and subsidise the domestic resource with social security, poor prospect in a shrinking job market.
If this is meant to be offered as advice I have little faith that anyone would take a blind bit of notice. Happen I may be telling it badly, they'd best squeeze their heads a little harder.
" We can't lose " start up hopefuls, be warned, your business won't thrive on borrowings and pumped up "selfish steam".
An old aquaintance sought ot appease curiosity of this region by asking," How come folk round here live in houses that by British standards are worth millions(?? his words) But they wear shabby clothes and look poor?" I was dismayed at such a myopic observation.
Familial resources are kept close to where they are needed most, in the family home.
Beautiful mature chaumières with potagers, successive generations contributing stone by stone and cultivating inch by inch, deep, rich qualified life supporting.
Whether there is money in the bank or not "jobless" or fully employed. They are not selling. We prosper in austerity. Our existence is not solely dependent on outside monies. The generic common base. Folk may dress up to go to church or club social but working clothes are no indication of status or richesse. Folk can prosper without the indignity of raffling the home off to the vagaries of maket forces.. Our future generations depend on an assurance of their own permanent tenure. All liabilities as well as assets are passed on. The benefit is the profit of a labour of love, the collective familial treasure trove. It is the future , when all else fails. A stronghold against enslavement and famine. There will be more seeking to pioneer a little austere peace in paradise is my uncultivated notion,than would wish to gamble their inheritance and family legacies.
Count your blessings and make home the first the last the only resort. Families invest more than money. Little or none would often be the original investment. The profit passed on and so on in perpetuity..Homefield house investment trust.
We cultivate an abundance in our shabby rags, enough to share.
Why stop now? "I would rather go bankrupt than lose the love of my family and the security of our home in sacrifice to a business". Sez I.
Oh well, some people never learn.