“I look at the UK property market and there’s nothing good about it”
Kevin Macleod says his advice to young Britons looking to buy their first home is to “move to another country with a healthy housing market”, such as Germany.
The Grand Designs presenter spoke to JOE ahead of the Grand Designs Live event, which will be held at London's ExCel from 4th to 12th May.
Housing is one of the main topics of debate in the UK at the moment, with many believing that owning a home is currently nothing more than a pipe dream.
While Macleod admits the UK housing problem is “very complex”, he is clear what the main issues are in today's market.
He said: “In 2009, the average profit per unit, per house or apartment for a large property developer was about £6,800. Now, their profit per unit is 10 times that of £68,000.
“They have shifted their focus from numbers and meeting government targets to profits for shareholders.
“Persimmon, the year before last, had generated profits for shareholders of £1.1bn, accounting for 25% of its turnover.
“I can only describe it in one word, I think it's unethical.”
“Why is renting so bad?”
So, with all this in mind, what advice does he have for young people looking to buy their first home in the UK?
“I was asked this question the other day: 'What would you say to someone buying a home for the first time during this difficult time?'
“I say, you just dropped the word 'first time buyer' like a bomb into that sentence, and that's because my only advice is to move to another country where the housing market is healthy and diverse. , flexible.” Renting isn’t considered a risky gamble like going to the casino, or it’s not considered the second-best option. “
The speaker explained that in much of Europe leasing is considered as viable as ownership.
He said: “Why is it bad to rent? Why are we obsessed with ownership? This was an idea that Margaret Thatcher came up with in the 1980s to win more Conservative votes.
“It has nothing to do with social status, status, respect or integrity. In other countries, such as France and Germany, renting is the norm.”
Macleod continued: “For that matter, it used to be the case in the UK that you could rent a house in the 1950s and early 1960s and there was no stigma attached to it.
“It was just an alternative to buying in a diverse market. What happened was that housing became a weapon of government and we haven’t looked back since.
“As a result, people view housing simply as a means to make money.”
“Move to Germany!”
All in all, the property expert paints a bleak picture of UK housing.
“I looked at the UK market and there was nothing good here,” he said. “I look at what’s going on in Germany, the Netherlands, the Netherlands, Denmark, Scandinavia, I look at pretty much every other Nordic country and Canada – they have very healthy markets, lots of diverse opportunities, lots of diversity Great discounts and not very expensive.
“So yes, my advice would be to move to Germany, maybe that's the way forward!”
Kevin McCloud speaking ahead of Grand Designs Live, the major home show, taking place at ExCel London from 4th to 12th May https://www.granddesignslive.com/
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