– I was going to live in a caravan for a year, now it’s almost three. It’s not because I’m stubborn, but because I enjoy it, says Sofie Stranger. In a valley in Tromsø, close to both the mountains and the sea, she has parked her new home. The 32-year-old from Oslo moved north six years ago to get closer to nature, and now lives on a campsite. Sofie Stranger believes that this housing solution may be relevant for several prospective first-time buyers who are tired of the housing market, and at the same time want to save equity. The disco ball above the home office gives her motivation. She has decorated the carriage with several personal items. Photo: Ida Louise Rostad / news She has paid rent herself to various landlords for ten years. And prices kept rising. – There was a tiredness about being on the rental market and not knowing what would happen at the next turn. You are in a vulnerable situation – suddenly the people you rent from are going to sell and you have to move at short notice. It is an eternal uncertainty, and many are in that loop for a long time. And she has no regrets. – I was surprised at how comfortable it can be to live in a caravan. And if I have to move, I don’t have to pack up my home. There will be a calm about it, says Stranger. And it’s cheaper than the hot housing market. At the start, she paid NOK 500 a month for the land she was standing on, but now she pays NOK 6,200 for a little more facilities. Nevertheless, she has managed to put money aside for equity. The road to work for Sofie Stranger starts at the campsite in Tromsdalen in Tromsø … Photo: Ida Louise Rostad / news A new housing policy? Stranger took a break from her studies when she was elected to the municipal council in Tromsø for the Green Party almost four years ago. She also works as county secretary for the party part-time. Nevertheless, she would not have had the chance to get out of the rental market if she had not taken the alternative choice of housing. – Not everyone has parents who can sponsor housing. And it doesn’t just apply to families who can’t afford it. Ordinary middle classes do not have the opportunity to sponsor three children with housing today, she says. Should everyone be able to buy a home? Stranger was in a traffic accident a few years ago, which gave her compensation. She used that to buy herself a carriage. With his politician’s hat on, the 32-year-old believes that a political investment is needed in the housing market towards young first-time buyers. – We cannot build our way out of it, it has to be managed in some way. It feels so overwhelmingly big and there are systems I don’t understand and have knowledge of. But I wish there was a government incentive, because it affects so many people. … before she enters the sliding doors of the town hall in Tromsø … Photo: Ida Louise Rostad / news Today, there are big differences in the housing policies municipalities have. Some, such as Oslo and Harstad, offer so-called “rent to own”. In the capital, you can also buy into a block without equity. In Tromsø there are no such solutions, even though the city has the second highest prices for both renting and owning, after Oslo. – Many municipal politicians want to do something about it, but they do not have the capacity on their own. The state has more resources, and then it is not so random if you enter the housing market if it is the same everywhere, she believes. And she points out a paradox: – Many people are good at paying their rent, but then they can’t get a loan because they don’t have money in the bank. I think the whole “mindset” needs to be looked at. … and takes a place in the open office landscape close to the mayor and works. Photo: Ida Louise Rostad / news The housing mess and the elephant in the room The government and parliament are responsible for housing policy in Norway, while the municipalities implement it. But since it is a personal responsibility to get a roof over your head, today’s housing policy is primarily aimed at those who, for various reasons, have challenges in getting a satisfactory home in today’s housing market. 1. The banks were allowed to decide more The state controlled much of the housing market until 1981. But the politicians believed it was best to let the market rule itself. This led to prices being determined based on what people wanted to pay and how much the banks gave them in loans. 2. Home loans have become cheaper. This is because the so-called “interest rates” at the banks are lower now than they used to be. Interest is money we have to pay to the bank in order to borrow money from them. The banks also want to make money. 3. We borrow a lot of money Norwegians have borrowed a lot of money to be able to buy a home. In order to be able to participate in the bidding round, we therefore have to borrow more to have a chance of getting into the housing market. 4. We lack housing where people want to live. After the war, housing was built profusely, but housing construction has not kept up with population growth in the country. This is especially true in cities. 5. It is more expensive to build Today, all houses are built with, for example, running water and insulation in the walls. It costs. Constantly new demands have come. In 1960, less than half of the homes had a toilet inside. 6. We want to live by ourselves In 1950, for example, it was common for more than three people to live in the same home. Now it is more common that there are only two of us. 7. We have become richer… and some more than others. Today, Norwegians spend smaller parts of their wages on food and drink, but far more on housing.8. Many people get parental help. It can be an inheritance, the parents who take out a loan, or let the bank take security in their home. Then there will again be more people competing for the homes. 9. More people are buying their first home. These do not have a home to sell, so there will be more people competing for the homes. At the same time, you can see that there are more first-time buyers who are struggling to get into the housing market. There has been a downward trend for several years, but little has been done to reverse this. So says social economist Kim Christian Astrup, who is currently a researcher at Oslo Met and editor of Tidsskrift for housing research. – The policy has been absent and thin. The last instrument aimed at them was a start-up loan in 2014, but it was quickly changed to target low-income families. Kim Christian Astrup is editor of Tidsskrift for boligforskning, and housing researcher at Oslo Met. Photo: Oslo Met He points out that several of the large developers have tried various measures to lower the threshold for first-time buyers, and mentions the Obos projects “Bostart” and “Deleie”, and Fredensborg’s “Rent to own”. – The problem for many is getting into the housing market. Once you’ve moved in, it’s usually far more economically advantageous to own than to rent, says Astrup. – We have rigged a system where home owners are heavily rewarded via property taxation, through all the tax benefits you get from owning. Despite repeated criticism of housing taxation from professionals, there has been little political will to change it. You don’t need so many things when you live small. And you become more aware of whether you need the things you actually have, or whether they just take up space. Photo: Ida Louise Rostad / news The social economist does not think it would have been so important for people to own property without these advantages. He points out that in other countries it is relatively common for people with normal incomes to remain tenants throughout their lives. High price growth on housing over time, combined with the equity requirement of 15 per cent, has meant that the opportunities to enter the market have been conditional on access to the “parent bank” – which is very different, he says. – Those who are stuck on the rental market in Norway are subject to tax discrimination. This in turn contributes to intensifying economic inequality. It is a systemic inequality that is perhaps difficult to balance in a social democratic setting. The solution so far is to try to help disadvantaged tenants as home owners, but the policy has been relatively inadequate towards first-time buyers, he believes. Researchers are now looking at who is left behind, and how long they are out. And what is the consequence of that? – The solution to the housing crisis beyond changing the housing tax is perhaps to find more systems for co-financing, such as shared ownership. Increased facilitation for such systems is something I would advise politicians to go ahead with, says Astrup. “Nobody sees my bedclothes, so it doesn’t matter that they are worn,” comments Sofie Stranger. She has had to sew it several times with needle and thread to repair it. Photo: Ida Louise Rostad / news Consumption and sustainability Sofie Stranger is one of those politicians who actually lives up to what they stand for. She is very concerned with sustainability and taking care of what you have. And she has only become more aware of that since she started living small. Because she does not have room for more than what is necessary, and cannot make spontaneous purchases. – When I only have the things I need, I can focus on other things, such as experiences. If I buy something, I have to replace it with something else. And at the same time, she says and takes a breath: – When I have something for a long time, I become extra fond of it, want to take care of it and repair what is damaged. There is not much storage in a caravan. Therefore, Sofie Stranger’s skis are well placed in the shower, while the outer jacket (which has lasted a few years) hangs in the bathroom. Photo: Ida Louise Rostad / news Stranger shows off the drinking bottle she has had since she was 10, the bedding that has been sewn together several times since she moved away from home and the bubble jacket full of repair patches. In the fridge is the food she has found in the rubbish outside a shop late at night. – There has been a lot of focus on politicians who have commuter homes and receive various benefits, and you can get the impression that everyone lives a luxurious life. I am happy living simply, says Stranger. The sticky notes with words of wisdom have been with her for several years. She sticks them up in the homes she lives in, and gives her a good feeling. Photo: Ida Louise Rostad And if camping life continues? Well: – Now I can actually afford to buy my own home, because I have lived cheaply. But I don’t know if I need it. I feel good here. – If you live in a sailboat, you are an adventurer, if you live in a caravan, it is suddenly strange. Many will bail me out of the situation. But I don’t want to be saved, says Sofie Stranger. Photo: Ida Louise Rostad / news
ttn-69
Sofie Stranger lives in a caravan – thinks the housing policy needs to be looked at – news Troms and Finnmark
