– Hello, and welcome to the show! Broker Bledar Osmani welcomes everyone who comes to the viewing of the brand new apartment between Bryn and Hellerud in the east of Oslo. And there are many. 125 had signed up. The previous screening he had to extend by three hours, because so many people came, he explains. – We have had very good demand for this apartment. Which perhaps also sheds light on what it’s like out there, he says. Bledar Osmani in DNB Eiendom believes that the interest shows that there are many people who are struggling in the normal housing market. Photo: Karwan Noradin Ali / news Diana Danilevica (29) is one of those interested. She is on display for the first time. For eight years, she has followed the housing market. No luck. But now she sees hope of being able to buy herself an apartment. Despite a lack of equity or rich parents. – I am in Norway all alone. So I think this is my only option. Housing “on sharing” The apartment at Bryn is something a little out of the ordinary. It is a “splice housing”. There, the buyer can get an entire apartment for half the price. “Oslobolig” was launched by the red-green city council in 2021. It is a housing company that buys new homes, and then sells, for example, half. So that they become co-owners with the buyer. Many were interested in the 2-room apartment at Oslobolig. Photo: Karwan Noradin Ali / news The aim is to give more people the opportunity to enter the housing market. People like Diana – who have a high enough income that they can manage a loan. But lacks equity. By buying half the apartment, only half the equity is needed. – And then they “rent” the other half from us. And they buy up as they have saved more equity, explains director Anne Helene Mortensen at Oslobolig. The rent follows the market. The buyer must also pay for his share of the joint expenses. Facts about Oslobolig Oslobolig was founded in 2021. The company is owned by Oslo municipality, OBOS, DNB, Bane Nor Eiendom and the property company NREP. The company buys up newly built homes, and then publishes them on its website. People who want to buy a home and meet the requirements can register an interest and come to a viewing. Buyers must buy 50 percent, but can buy more if they can afford it. They rent the rest from Oslobolig. This means that the equity is lower, but the buyer gets to dispose of the entire apartment. The offer is aimed at the “middle class” in society: those who have a decent income, but do not have a lot of funds saved. There is an income limit for buyers: max NOK 710,000 for first-time buyers, and NOK 860,000 for others. The offer, on the other hand, is primarily aimed at single people with fairly good finances, or couples with a low combined income. Buyers must be able to service the loan + consideration (“rent”) to Oslobolig. Buyers can sell the property again whenever they wish. They and Oslobolig then divide the sales sum according to their share of ownership. Too few homes The aim was to provide 1,000 homes within five to seven years. They are nowhere near that, according to Mortensen. – We have now received just under 120 homes in the course of two years. But that has something to do with the market situation, there is very little supply, she says. – So the goal of having 1,000 sold within five to seven years, is that too far-fetched? – It is too early to say. But if it is to continue with such low development in housing construction, then it is too hairy. And we can’t buy used, she says. Chairman Anne Helene Mortensen believes the response to the homes they have sold shows that the concept works. But there are too few new apartments available for them to buy as many as they want. Photo: Rushda Syed / news So far they have sold just over 70 apartments. And now the 2-room apartment at Bryn can be the next “in line”. Many first-time buyers And Diana is far from the only hopeful. Tazrin Ahmed also hopes to gain a foothold in the housing market. She would not be able to enter the ordinary housing market, she believes. But by buying 50 percent it may be possible. – Is it necessary for such an offer to exist, so that everyone can get an apartment in Oslo? – Definitely. Especially for immigrants like me. It is very important, she says. Tazrin Ahmed believes that offers such as splicing housing are particularly important for immigrants, who often do not have family in Norway who can help them with housing. Photo: Karwan Noradin Ali / news According to Mortensen in Oslobolig, most people who buy are people who have never owned a home before. Like Ahmed. Many are without family in Oslo. But not all. Ragnhild Hasle is an example of that. After several years in another city, she was actually looking for housing there. Before she realized that she wanted to return to her hometown of Oslo. But it’s not just easy. Within her budget, it was mostly only possible to buy homes in poor condition. That is why she is delighted with the Oslobolig apartment. – It is absolutely fantastic, with such good quality as it is here, she says. For her, several things are important: proximity to public transport. That the area feels safe. And that it is pleasant to live there. In the view, the apartment seems to fit everything. The bathroom and kitchen were the finest in the apartment, says Ragnhild. Photo: Rushda Syed / news – Do you think you will become the new owner? – I don’t know. I hope so. It depends on who else is applying, she says. And adds: – Just because I want to get in here, doesn’t mean that I have so much to fight with if there is someone who is worse off than me in the housing market. – Not for those who earn well For Oslobolig should not be a shortcut into the market for those who have good opportunities. – It was very important for Oslo municipality and the politicians that we had some criteria, such that we have income limits, says Mortensen in Oslobolig. First-time buyers cannot earn more than NOK 710,000. And if you have owned a home before, the limit is 860,000. – It may sound like a lot, but then again, we live in Oslo, says Mortensen. The limit applies to the entire “household”. Then, if a couple is going to buy together, their combined income must be below the limit. Ragnhild Hasle believes the Oslobolig model is very good. She hopes for a “pacifier”, but understands that those who have less to deal with can be prioritized. Photo: Rushda Syed / news If several people want to buy and make offers, it is those with the lowest income who “win”. Broker Bledar Osmani says some people at the screening have reacted to it. – There have been people who earn well over a million who wonder why they are not allowed to buy, he says. – And then we really just have to say that the home is not for you. It is not for you who earn too much. Published 26.11.2024, at 09.57
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More people in Oslo will buy housing on a shared basis through splicing solutions – Greater Oslo
