Ah, living the dream.
Well sort of ... are you?
Ever thought of what the dream is?
For many of us it will involve our home, only an improved version – seen through rose tinted glasses where we have an unlimited budget to achieve that perfect room, or build that extension … and the list goes on.
But for some, just having a place to call home is the dream.
More and more households are finding living in the North-east unaffordable even with, or perhaps because of, the current financial crisis.
This has led to ever-growing numbers of young people staying at home longer.
A press article a few years ago stated that the over-50s were in despair as the average age of children leaving home was 27, and those are the lucky ones who have family homes they can continue to live in.
This is certainly the case for my own daughter who I think is beginning to deliver on that threat to stay at home until she is 35.
But is it right that young adults do not to have an opportunity to live independently, to make their own decisions and, yes, make their own mistakes.
Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire has historically benefited from local industries paying high wages.
This has resulted in the highest proportion of households having an annual income of £40,000 plus.
In addition, the areas see higher than Scottish average household incomes.
But this is not the case for everyone.
Social housing has been vilified by the press on occasion but what is the truth?
Well it’s simple, the majority of local housing association tenants are in work, and yes, some do rely on assistance to meet their rental commitment – but isn’t that what you would expect from a modern society - a safety net to be in place when they have low incomes or become unemployed.
The aspiration for home ownership is not unique to this area, but it is different from that of our European counterparts who see no issue in renting in the social sector, indeed it is seen as a tenure of choice, the Netherlands having one third of their housing provided through social rental.
Scotland and Austria are not too far behind but the perception of the sector varies enormously.
This will only be counter-balanced once we deliver adequate house numbers.
Build to Rebuild
The successful launch of Build to Rebuild: A Housing Manifesto for the North East and for Scotland’s Economy highlights the positive impact that good quality affordable housing can have on society.
Social housing providers have long held the belief that making the link between a thriving economy and affordable housing is essential.
Now it seems that people in authority are listening as recent grant levels increased and businesses are backing the call for more affordable housing to be built.
I, for one, will be watching closely to see if the North-east is at last recognised for being a place where it can be a real challenge to find a place to call home if you are not one of the fortunate ones who can afford the high rental or purchase prices, or whose needs are not currently met from the social housing sector - the "in-betweeners" as I call them.
Working families who just want to get on.