Lyn Cox, Public Relations, writes:
I am a die-hard newspaper reader – and, unashamedly, I prefer print. I like to turn pages. I like to cut things out.
I enjoy reading columns, as long as they are not too political. There are some columnists I skip.
Sometimes the writer’s message I really like is buried in the column, as was the case in something Angela Mollard wrote one Sunday.
She began talking about locals who get upset when outsiders discover their slice of heaven and want to muscle in. Apparently, things can get really out of hand, especially when they believe those out-of-towners are solely responsible for pushing up the price of the local real estate.
I accept that a lot of people would like a slice of my lifestyle – and do notice the influx of holiday makers – but it is hardly fair to think they should be shut out, just because they didn’t buy into the lifestyle as early as I did.
As Angela wrote, “The fact is, if you live in a place you think is the bee’s knees, the best thing you can do is secure your future there by presuming that others will eventually regard it similarly.”
But that wasn’t what resonated most with me in her column. It was when she was talking about the property market, and most specifically the price of real estate, in conversation with her children.
She said that rather than “catastrophizing about it with my kids I try and empower them”.
She tells them three things. Firstly, how a friend scrimped and saved to buy a tiny flat at the age of 22, which eventually led her to buy a home in London where she now lives. Save hard for a deposit, and when you first buy, it may not be where you want to live but you are in the market.
Secondly, make property decisions based on research. Thirdly, take responsibly for yourself and your own happiness.
I think that empowering young people with property market knowledge and understanding is a terrific message.