http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/news ... ewart.html

I always thought the housing market was being "stage-managed" by estate agents - now it appears there might be an element of truth in it. Sounds like they're using this to prop up prices.

I've always thought it bunkum. I know of a lot of empty houses and I don't know any homeless people.

My wife's family returned from Germany several years ago and they were shocked at how much money British people pay for small, [LIFTED] houses. They complain of crap build quality too. There's no way houses in the UK are worth what people are paying for them.

There's probably not a shortage of housing, a shortage of affordable housing however...

Yeah, looking at my house here, compared to the house I owned in the UK, both built around the same time, the build quality are worlds apart. The German houses are much more solid and stable, although the UK house I had was easier to repair.

For example all floors are solid concrete and insulation material here, so no creaky floor boards. The downside is, if a pipe bursts, you have to dig out the concrete around it! Lifting a creaky floorboard is a "bit" easier.

The wiring here is also a lot simpler than the houses we had in the UK, especially for lights. One house we had in East Grinstead had 8 black cables for the lighting loom!

It's not the houses that cost, it's the land they're built on.

Our house has concrete floors, I'd much rather have wooden ones. They're warmer and you can lift them to lay cables etc.

My experience is much the opposite : namely that, if you are careful to compare like for like, the standards are pretty similar. If you look at developer-built properties they're crap in both countries; if you look at self-built properties, they're pretty good in both countries. The difference is that the UK has lots of the former, Germany the latter.

As for wooden floors, they're supposed to be continuously maintained, just like woodwork, hinges or tiled floors. A creaky board is like a dripping tap, worn-out paintwork or a wonky garden path - it usually indicates a lazy owner. Any creaky boards should be either reseated or replaced; it's not exactly a difficult job. And in many locations, such as p*ss-wet Lancashire or the bloody-cold Ore Mountains etc., solid floors just aren't a good idea.

And as Germany goes, some of the electrical installations I've seen are scary! I've even offered to correct things whilst on holiday. "Haben Sie einen Schraubendreher?" The difference IMO is that, (for various reasons ), Germany has a much higher proportion of newer housing and the better wiring that comes with it.

That said, I am really not a fan of unfused plugs.

I love the British plug compared to every other type I've used, ring mains and switched sockets are also great, but ffs let people have sockets in the bathroom.