Get your hands on the freshest, most comprehensive auction and repossessed properties list in Manchester.

Like all big cities, Manchester is really a collection of small villages, each with its own individual character. Here’s our guide to the ‘villages of Manchester.’

If you hanker after city living then it has to be Central Manchester, where the only way is up – in terms of building that is. The city is now so filled with properties, both commercial and residential, that tower blocks are the order of the day. Don’t equate these tower blocks with those high-rise estates of our post-war years, though; today’s high-flyers have little in common with Del Boy and Nelson Mandela House. Beetham Tower, for instance, the tallest residential building in Europe, is home to not only luxury penthouses and apartments but also to the Manchester Hilton Hotel. The locals actually call this tower the Hilton Tower and the hotel occupies the first 23 floors, of which there are 47 in total.

If you’re not a lover of heights, or if you simply don’t like city life, why not consider South Manchester? Follow the Wilmslow Road out of the city and your first port of call will be the student territory stretching from Rusholme to Withington; travel a bit further on, however, and you’ll come to Didsbury and Chorlton, both very trendy places to live. West Didsbury is home to Thyme Out, which has just been nominated as Deli of the Year; a troupe of travelling players are putting on Shakespeare at Heaton Park; there’s an independent book market in St Anne’s Square at the end of this month (June). You get the picture. Too much culture? Well, just further down the road you have the even more salubrious suburbs of Stretford, Altrincham, and Hale Barns. Yet, over in Wythenshaw, you’ll find Europe’s largest council estate.

In terms of value for money, North Manchester has to be pretty hard to beat. Far more cosmopolitan than south of the city, you’ll find a traditional Jewish community in Prestwich and ethnically diverse populations in Crumpsall and Cheetham Hill. The Moston Lane area is renowned for its strong community values.

The area to the east of the city was one of the most deprived areas in Britain but, with Clayton, Openshaw, and Beswick in East Manchester in receipt of

huge regeneration monies, this is an area ripe for investment. Manchester City FC has set up home in the City of Manchester Stadium, centrepiece of the Commonwealth Games and where the regeneration of the area started. The aims of the New East Manchester

regeneration framework are impressive and bode well for an up and coming future.

If you want to see Coronation-Street-like back-to-backs, Salford and West Manchester should be your destination. This is another area of social deprivation yet travel just a little further out and you’ll find yourself in the WAG territories of Boothstown and Worsley.

For excellent transport links to the city it has to be Eccles, while for sheer loveliness the prize goes to Monton Village, which is a conservation area.

The following article appeared in yesterday’s Irish Times and has been reprinted here in full.

More and more Irish people have been putting their homes on the line in recent months by falling into arrears on their mortgages after being caught out by the bursting property bubble. With interest rates rising and house prices falling, it is a problem that is only going to get worse in the year ahead.

Last September, over 26,000 homeowners found themselves in arrears. The number of people in negative equity stood at 116,000 at the end of last year. That number looks set to rise to 196,000 by the end of 2010 with the average shortfall between the value of the house and the size of the mortgage standing at around €40,000. Despite recent hikes in variable mortgage rates by some lenders, interest rates overall are still very low, but they will rise which will see more homeowners struggling to make their monthly repayments. The problem is further compounded by banks, such as AIB, clamping down on switchers and others, such as Halifax, leaving the Irish market entirely

The State has taken several steps to protect cash-strapped homeowners from losing their homes. Last year, as part of the Government’s bank recapitalisation, AIB and Bank of Ireland agreed to a 12-month moratorium on repossessions, while last month the Financial Regulator imposed a new rule which means that all banks and building societies, including sub-prime lenders, must now wait at least 12 months from the date arrears first appear before they can look to repossess a borrower’s primary residence.

Borrowers are also protected, to some extent, by the reluctance of banks to exacerbate their losses. Moving for repossession would likely result in a loss for the bank, given the likelihood that it would be unable to sell the property at a price that would clear the mortgage. A desire to clean up their balance sheets also means that banks have a vested interest in reducing the number of mortgages on their books which are in arrears.

In the US, “jingle mail” has become a reality with people reneging on their mortgage by sending the keys to their home back to their bank in the post, but Irish bankruptcy laws make this very unattractive. If you were to hand back the keys, then your lender could still pursue you for the money outstanding on the mortgage, so voluntary surrenders should be avoided.

If you fear you are going to run into difficulties repaying your mortgage, or you have already fallen into arrears, the very first and the most important step should be to meet your bank manager. While it may be the last thing you want to do, coming to an arrangement with your lender is the only viable option. But don’t go in expecting the bank to offer you a cup of sweet tea and listen to your tales of woe. That won’t happen. Prepare for the meeting and have a clear perspective on your current financial situation. An AIB spokesman told Pricewatch that the purpose of such a meeting is “to put together a solution through which borrowers manage their financial difficulties as best they can rather than allowing them to grow in the future.”

It is likely that the bank will offer you one of three possible resolutions: An extension of the term; a switch to interest-only repayments; or a moratorium, or break, on repayments altogether. While any of these options will help in the short-term, you will end up paying for the relief over the course of the mortgage.

If you have come to an agreement to make your repayments more affordable, along the lines mentioned above, you may still be stuck with the burden of arrears. If, say, you are €10,000 in arrears and you only pay €100 off every month (on top of your standard repayment) it will take you over eight years to clear the arrears, which may be an uncomfortable position to be in. As such, you could try and get your lender to “capitalise” your arrears, provided that you meet repayments for a certain period of time. Given that the lender is likely to want to clear its mortgage books of arrears, it may be willing to add the arrears to your outstanding balance, thereby giving you a new monthly mortgage repayment – so there will be no worry from the arrears hanging over you. However, you should note that doing this will add to the overall interest costs on the mortgage.

Given the limited possibilities, other options are needed to deal with the twin problems of mortgage affordability and negative equity. Such alternative options may be on the way following the establishment last month by the Government of an “expert group” which will look at ways to assist homeowners struggling to pay their mortgages. But what measures might they introduce?

Other countries have already started dealing with the problem. In the US, the “Making Home Affordable Program” offers two different potential solutions for borrowers – refinancing mortgage loans and modifying mortgage loans.

In the UK, where an estimated 900,000 people are in negative equity, last year’s budget introduced a “Mortgage Rescue Scheme” and “Mortgage Support Scheme”. These schemes include options such as an equity loan enabling mortgage repayments to be reduced or, alternatively, the debt is cleared completely and the applicant pays rent at a level they can afford; or the deferral of borrowers’ interest payments for up to two years, with the UK government guaranteeing a proportion of the deferred interest. (This mortgage rescue scheme has now been extended.)

Solutions are also coming from the private sector in the UK. The Nationwide Building Society, for example, last year launched a 125 per cent mortgage for existing customers who are stuck in negative equity but want to move. Other options for Ireland might include extending 100 per cent mortgage interest relief for a fixed period of time, or shared ownership schemes. Under such a scheme, the lender would take a percentage share in the property, which would result in a reduced mortgage burden for the borrower.

These include:

• Extending free face-to-face debt advice services;

• Tightening the rules so lenders must show greater tolerance and understanding to those in arrears, and must prove they have exhausted every possible option before seeking repossession

• Help with mortgage interest payments through schemes including Homeowner Mortgage Support and the Support for Mortgage Interest scheme; and

• For the most vulnerable families, the backstop Mortgage Rescue Scheme.

Repossession Hot Spots

According to the government, the following 86 repossession hotspots have been identified as being at greater risk due to higher levels of unemployment and repossession court orders:

• Basildon
• Bolsover
• Broxbourne
• Bury
• Coventry
• Darlington
• Dartford
• Dudley
• Enfield
• Erewash
• Gateshead
• Gloucester
• Gravesham
• Harlow
• Ipswich
• Kirklees
• Lambeth
• Leeds
• Leicester
• Mansfield
• Medway
• Milton Keynes
• NE Lincolnshire
• Redbridge
• Slough
• Southend-on-sea
• Stevenage
• Thanet
• Wakefield
• West Lancashire
• Barking and Dagenham
• Corby
• Knowsley
• Salford
• Newham
• Walsall
• Redditch
• Halton
• Sandwell
• Wolverhampton
• Nottingham
• Birmingham
• Manchester
• Bolton
• Liverpool
• Sunderland
• Reading
• Wigan
• Swindon
• Northampton
• Kingston-upon-Hull
• Cannock Chase
• Barnsley
• Derwentside
• Doncaster
• Easington
• Luton
• Middlesbrough
• North Lincolnshire
• Nuneaton and Bedworth
• Oldham
• Peterborough
• Rochdale
• Rotherham
• Sedgefield
• South Tyneside
• Stockton-on-Tees
• Stoke-on-Trent
• Tameside
• Tamworth
• Wear Valley
• Wellingborough
• Ashfield
• Blackburn with Darwen
• Blackpool
• Blyth Valley
• Bradford
• Burnley
• Chester-le-Street
• Croydon
• Greenwich
• Lewisham
• Rossendale
• South Holland
• Thurrock
• Waltham Forest

Housing Minister John Healey has today dedicated an extra £2.5 million to the Government’s campaign to help anyone with mortgage worries to seek advice. He has also extended a Government campaign across the country with a special local push in 86 repossession hotspot areas. Last year, more than 333,000 homeowners have received help and advice with their mortgage.

In announcing the new financial input, Mr Healey said:

“With the pressure on homeowners set to remain throughout 2010 we must keep the Government support in place. Cutting that special help now would put an end to these special efforts now would put more families at risk of repossession.

“So today I am extending the Government’s campaign so people know they can get free impartial and practical advice, both online or over the phone.

“We’ve pulled out all the stops with Government support to help people avoid losing their home. More than 330,000 families have had help and advice with their mortgages over the past year, which is one reason why repossessions are running at half the rate of the last recession.

“I would urge anyone facing money worries not to bury their head in the sand, but to go to our repossessions help website or call the National Debtline to get help in keeping their home.”

Housing Pressure will Continue but Help is at Hand

Despite the positive news, the CML have warned that pressure on homeowners will continue throughout 2010, which is why the Minister has extended the previous campaign. If you need help managing your mortgage payments, the It’s Your Home campaign
will give you the tools you need to prevent your home being repossessed. You’ll also find stories from some of the 330,000 homeowners who have already received help and advice.

Another superb source of help is the National Debtline, you can phone them free on 0808 808 4000 for help and support.

And working with the Government, Citizens Advice offices across the country have run over 100 public events in the “hotspot areas”, so local people have been able to drop in for free mortgage help and advice, with displays and stalls set up everywhere from libraries and supermarkets to schools and hospitals – and even a local zoo.

In summary, the largest percentage fall was in the West Midlands, where repossessions fell by 40% compared to the same period in 2008.  Meanwhile, the greatest number of repossessions per households occurred in Wales, where 1.4 properties out of every 1,000 were repossessed in the quarter, although this figure does represent a 34% fall when compared last year.

The figures below represent:

1. Total number of repossessions for the period
2. Percentage rise or fall on Q3 2008
3. Number of repossessions per 1,000 households

• Total England & Wales: 24,938; down 34%; 1.1
• England only: 23,205; down 34%; 1.1

Regional Break Down

• North East: 1,465; down 34% ; 1.3
• North West: 3,875; down 37%; 1.3
• Yorkshire and the Humber: 2,830; down 29%; 1.3
• East Midlands: 2,155; down 33%; 1.2
• West Midlands: 2,480; down 40%; 1.1
• East: 2,360; down 31%; 1.0
• London: 3,425; down 36%; 1.1
• South East: 2,925; down 34%; 0.8
• South West: 1,700; down 32%; 0.8
• Wales: 1,710; down 34%; 1.4

For even greater regional breakdown of repossession figures for the quarter, click on the relevant region above.

Members of the devolved Scottish Parliament have backed a change in the law which will make it more difficult for homes to be repossessed in Scotland.

The Home Owner and Debtor Protection Bill, which will ensure that lenders have to wait longer before seizing properties as well as putting onus on the lender to prove they have taken reasonable steps to prevent repossession of private properties, gained cross party support. Residents will also be given the right to a court hearing before repossession can be authorised.  The net effect will be a three-year debt-clearing opportunity before the lender can sell the home to settle the debt.

Graeme Brown, director of housing charity Shelter Scotland, said:

“The Scottish government’s action to bring forward these additional protections for homeowners is timely, particularly amid the current financial climate, and Scotland’s flagship commitment to give everyone the right to a home by 2012.”

The Council of Mortgage Lenders expressed the concern that delayed repossessions would make it more difficult for Scots to borrow in future.

However, the Housing and Communities Minister, Alex Neil, said that the new moves were aimed at preventing families from getting caught in a debt trap.  He went on to say:

“Our response, embodied in this bill, has been to act quickly to introduce more protection for homeowners and to offer support to those people who currently cannot access debt solutions.

“Finally, they are protected with the full weight of the law. In implementing the provisions in the bill, we will continue in the spirit of co-operation that has been a feature of discussions among all political parties in the chamber.”

How refreshingly different from the sentiments expressed by UK Housing Minister, John Healey.