Market Roller Coaster of the Mind

Essentially a road map of what we are likely to witness as a nation over the coming months this handy chart is an excellent guide to market psychology from boom to bust. I think the market in general is somewhere between Euphoria and Anxiety, however some of the better informed market participants are probably firmly in the Denial stage. My guess is that the Denial stage in the broader market will arrive sometime in the Spring selling season.

Its a great time to get a commission.

Click to enlarge this parody of the American National Association of Realtors latest advertising campaign. The campaign is entitled It's a great time to buy or sell. But can it be both a great time to sell and a great time to buy?

The Bubble has Landed

The South East region of England is one of the wealthiest and most densely populated areas in Europe. Agricultural land values in the region reflect its affluent, metropolitan nature, an acre of arable in the Home Counties will cost you £5,429, £2,000 more than an acre of the green stuff in North East England or Scotland. However an acre of land in the South East is cheap as chips in comparison to land in Northern Ireland. An acre of land in the North will set you back a whopping (fanfare)……… £9,750. As far as I’m aware Northern Irish land is no more productive than land in Surrey, Hampshire or Kent. Northern farmers (to the best of my knowledge) haven’t taken to growing fields of poppies or marijuana, so why the hefty price differential. Could it be the spread of that rampant disease, bubbleitis from south of the border?

If you want more information on of the more bizarre side effects of the Irish Property Bubble, check out this link to The Valuation Office Agency in the UK.

http://www.voa.gov.uk/publications/property_market_report/pmr-jul-06/index.htm