"The Downswings of Property and Poker"

[outragous76]

Just started reading. Bit off topic... I used to live on the broadway in Thorpe bay for like 7 years.

In London now but mum still lives in Thorpe bay. Which estate agents you run? Must be one on the broadway!!

I run Essex Countryside the newest and best looking office in The Broadway but for 5 years previous ran Abbotts Countrywide till i bought the team across here with me a few months back.
Pop in anytime and say hi when your back.

Oh and ask your mum if she wants a lovely EC board outside her property  

Haha her husband runs an estate agents too so not sure the board will go down well!

Opinions on buying leaseholds and service charges?

Do you have any RICS guys in your office? I audit real estate funds and is something I might do once qualified as an accountant (hopefully in feb!)

I bought a flat 8 years ago.

Can't think of anything good to say about buying a leasehold property.

Expensive service charges, not greatly maintained etc. Much better to buy freehold, and not that much difference in terms of the deposit you would have to put down.

True true but there are not many freehold flats and if you dont have the ££ or thats all you can get in the town you wish to reside in many would say its better to be on the ladder than off it!!

thats why

[outragous76]

and service charge doesnt = profit except for the managing agent who charges a fee

[Eso Kral]

and service charge doesnt = profit except for the managing agent who charges a fee

I think what he meant Guy was that a lot of freeholders do naff all with the £1000 they receive ie cleaning the comm area once per week if your lucky, over our area a well known poker players family have an absolute lock on this kind of thing and make a mint out of being sharp and shrewd but mainly preying on people who dont know how to handle them.

We have houses worth £800k that are leasehold and you have to ask permission to change your windows and low and behold if you wish to do an extension they will try and get away with 25k to let you unless you use the correct solicitor who knows how to handle them.

[outragous76]

and service charge doesnt = profit except for the managing agent who charges a fee

I think what he meant Guy was that a lot of freeholders do naff all with the £1000 they receive ie cleaning the comm area once per week if your lucky, over our area a well known poker players family have an absolute lock on this kind of thing and make a mint out of being sharp and shrewd but mainly preying on people who dont know how to handle them.

We have houses worth £800k that are leasehold and you have to ask permission to change your windows and low and behold if you wish to do an extension they will try and get away with 25k to let you unless you use the correct solicitor who knows how to handle them.

oh, so essentially criminality?

Meh, dont want to generate a debate - it sounds like a local thing.

[Eso Kral]

and service charge doesnt = profit except for the managing agent who charges a fee

I think what he meant Guy was that a lot of freeholders do naff all with the £1000 they receive ie cleaning the comm area once per week if your lucky, over our area a well known poker players family have an absolute lock on this kind of thing and make a mint out of being sharp and shrewd but mainly preying on people who dont know how to handle them.

We have houses worth £800k that are leasehold and you have to ask permission to change your windows and low and behold if you wish to do an extension they will try and get away with 25k to let you unless you use the correct solicitor who knows how to handle them.

oh, so essentially criminality?

Meh, dont want to generate a debate - it sounds like a local thing.

Not really criminality, sharp business practice but they have freehold all over the south east.
But yeah freehold ftw!

[celtic]

Def not a local thing guy, hundreds of shady management companies, all over the UK. Even the non shady ones can be just useless. My management company have gone into administration. Hope they disappear.

[Eso Kral]

Thursday 14th November 1996

I remembered this story whilst at DTD this weekend when reading the post and they were talking about the Paddy Power meeting coming up this weekend

In 2days time i was supposed to going for my first visit to Cheltenham races for the November meeting with my Sunday football side, this was the first year of playing for them and we played top league in Birmingham on a Sunday infact even though it was Sunday footie we got paid to play and i got £40 per game and wasnt even one of the players on top ££  

They went to this meeting every year on a Beano and they always talked about it and having paid for my ticket was really looking forward to going but i was brassick and had no way of getting money, all I had to my name was £50 no where near enough so having bust out of the poker tourney at Stanley Walsall my last hope was the fruit machine by the cash desk.

Was one of those feature ones I think called Crown Jewells or something like, and i was down to my last few quid when i got on the feature and somehow mangled my way to the jackpot of £250 without collecting it or messing it up and i snap cashed it in and went home knowing i had enough for a good time at Cheltenham.......

[Eso Kral]

Saturday 16th November 1996

What a day!

Picked up at 8.30am in Birmingham and then onto the coach to Cheltenham where at 10.30 in a little pub just outside of the town we stopped for a good old english breakfast and our first beer of the day.
The physio was a legend and always stood at the front of the coach apparently and gave his nap of the day and for the past 3 years had given a winner, this year he says "SPACE TRUCKER" was his nap!
On arrival in the pub we had brekkie and whilst supping the first guinness someone pointed out a little fella sat in the corner with some betting slips and The Sporting Life in front of him, i was told he was a bookie who would take our bets before racing and would be there to settle up when we went back for a meal after racing.

So Space Trucker was first on the slip along with Political Tower in the 3.10 Ayr and finally a Martin Pipe and Mccoy ridden horse called Kailash in the last at Cheltenham, I cant remember the exact odds but they were all slightly bigger than the returned odds and on my slip i decided to place 3 x £8 doubles and a £6 acca for a bit of interest.

Arriving at Cheltenham was awesome and we set about drinking in the Arkle bar, I had the first winner to set me up for the day then stayed in the bar till Space Truckers race and i still remember seeing him come cantering round the last before quickening clear made all the more sweet by a £30 each way course bet and the knowledge my earlier bet was up and running. I stayed out with one of the boys watching the 2.55 before making my way back to the Arkle Bar just in time to see Political Tower cross the line in front on the SIS screen so with one left to run i was gtd some ££ back and never even thought to work out how much i could win.

The lucky last at Cheltenham and I remember it so well with Mccoy virtually steeling the race as the tapes went up by jumping the start and pinching 15-20 lengths before giving Kailash a breather down the back and was never in danger and I fist pumped as I stood on the line watching him cross it.

Back in the Arkle bar all the boys knew and one of them worked it out and it came to over a grand for £30, now the only sweat was if the bookie would still be at the pub when we returned....

[Eso Kral]

There was a minor sweat as we got into the pub as the bookie was nowhere to be seen but the landlord was already holding the ££ for everyone and they must have been 50/50 on the winnings or in this case the losing as between the coach we took them for 5k and after having a lovely steak meal we headed back to Birmingham for a night out at "The Elbow Room" followed by a famous Birmingham Balti to finish the night off.

Obv i spunked half my winnings back the next day to Ladbrokes trying to pick winners at Cheltenham again but they can never take back your memories!!!

[claypole]

Not sure mate, dads not been good and battling between getting away and doing something v being in right frame of mind....I'm going to think about it ;-)

[Eso Kral]

Not sure mate, dads not been good and battling between getting away and doing something v being in right frame of mind....I'm going to think about it ;-)

There are always other Poker games mate!!!

[Eso Kral]

ITS THAT BAD WERE TURNING TO DRINK IN THE OFFICE!!

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Not really but it is like pulling teeth here at the moment, most Novembers you have a little spurt of activity till the end of the month but despite tying up 2 sales in the first few days everyone seems to have gone into hibernation.
Really need 6 sales before the end of the month to be a par score!!

[Karabiner]

ITS THAT BAD WERE TURNING TO DRINK IN THE OFFICE!!

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][URL=http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/256/movemberday8.jpg/]

Not really but it is like pulling teeth here at the moment, most Novembers you have a little spurt of activity till the end of the month but despite tying up 2 sales in the first few days everyone seems to have gone into hibernation.
Really need 6 sales before the end of the month to be a par score!!

It must be bad if you have to drink that £3.99 a bottle plonk.

[Eso Kral]

ITS THAT BAD WERE TURNING TO DRINK IN THE OFFICE!!

Click to see full-size image.

][URL=http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/256/movemberday8.jpg/]

Not really but it is like pulling teeth here at the moment, most Novembers you have a little spurt of activity till the end of the month but despite tying up 2 sales in the first few days everyone seems to have gone into hibernation.
Really need 6 sales before the end of the month to be a par score!!

It must be bad if you have to drink that £3.99 a bottle plonk.

We are in a recession!!

[Eso Kral]

MISSING THE FAMILY!

Spoke to Petra today they are all good and yesterday had a photo shoot done with Max's cousin who was born 1day after he was, and today in the inbox were the rough photo's pre photoshop.
Here are a few

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[url=http://[URL=http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/214/maxandsabina.jpg/]

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