Would you really prefer to see house prices go up or down?

House prices are already creeping up as the economy is recovering. The increase isminiscule, but generally on the up except in the capital.

Matthew, you are wrong in your comment, The market is up in the Capital, but not anywhere else! Bythe end of this month you will start to hear the trem "Double Dip". With Unemployment still rising, Interest rates are soon to rise, Does not take a mathematician to work out whats going to happen. At peak, a loan could be found for around 6-7%(2006 average price) Look for a loan today and you will be lucky if you can get one and the rate will be more like 19.9% Bottom line with the housing market, it does not need to rise, it needs to drop to realistic price then stabalise. The BoE and Government need to watch this as they do with inflation.

House prices should fall so everyone can afford to buy and not just to make
profit!

My husband and I are 50 and we bought a house to "do up" about 18months ago. We spent about thirty thousand pounds and no end of time doing it up to sell on to try and make enough money to help support one of our childdren through uni as we dont have savinggs however we have lost all that we have spent and are renting it out but losing money all the time. We hope that house prices rise or we will be strugggling to be able to let our children go to uni and have no savings for retirement.

My husband and I are 50 and we bought a house to "do up" about 18months ago. We spent about thirty thousand pounds and no end of time doing it up to sell on to try and make enough money to help support one of our children through uni as we don't have savings. However, we have lost all that we have spent and are renting it out but losing money all the time. We hope that house prices rise or we will be strugggling to be able to let our children go to uni and have no savings for retirement.

I agree with everything said in the article. I would like to see house prices fall. My partner and I rent a small 3bed semi for ourselves and our 5 year old daughter. We both work in statutory and further education so our incomes are average and we're not badly off. We'd like to buy and have a deposit ready but for a house of the right size to live comfortably, house all our books, paraphenalia and improve our quality of life slightly, we would still have to borrow over 120K...that's a fairly hefty monthly payment that is double our current rent...we both work really hard and feel we deserve to have our own home but buying would increase our monthly outgoings considerably preventing any ability to save...it seems a big step to take especially as the market seems to be on shaky ground. I really hope prices drop so I feel less stressed about our family's future financial security. There are lots of us would be first time buyers out there who feel trapped.

house prices should keep in line with investment rates or inflation rate 4-7% pa no more and no less, Many people only have their house as a source of retirement fund so it does need to increase in value, for home owners to say that they would want there life investment to decrease is ludicrous. House prices need to be controlled and to be kept in check if they aren’t - it only adds to increasing the gap between rich and poor.

House booms and bust are a consequence of a poorly run monetary system that is apparent in the UK – fueled by rich investors and a poorly regulated banking system