Comments on: Finland - big country, small houses

By: Trevor

Trevor — Thu, 20 Oct 2005 10:04:20 +0000

Please could you answer my question for me 6d?

By: Trevor

Trevor — Mon, 17 Oct 2005 14:38:40 +0000

Please could somebody answer my query? I would be really grateful.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 11 Oct 2005 15:55:27 +0000

What percentage of People in Finland live in houses? Here in Britain it is estimated that roughly 76% of the population do, but I was wondering what it is like in Sweden?

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By: Hank W.

Hank W. — Mon, 06 Jun 2005 05:52:00 +0000

Finnpundit - its the resale value stupid. I wouldn’t pay a penny to “own” something that had no resale value. Maybe some slum lord trying to cash a quick buck might build some barracks, but the only people living in them would be winos…. then again the slum lords charging the city for housing winos in dorms leech the society enormous amounts it would be cheaper to put the wino on a holiday in Greece for a month than a week in a dorm here.

By: Vancouverite

Vancouverite — Sat, 04 Jun 2005 00:03:52 +0000

I have been to Finland several times with my Finnish-born wife who has many relations there still. The idea of a cottage by the lake seems to be ingrained in the Finnish culture and was something her parents brought with them to North America 50 years ago. As much as possible weekends and holiday were spent at the cabin even though it was more than a two hour drive from the city. Enjoying the sauna with its wood burning stove and dipping into the lake or fishing for Winnipeg goldeye meant more to them than having a big house in the city. On a more recent visit with a cousin’s family living in the same small Finnish town from where my wife was born, we were surprised to discover that their cabin by the lake was only 10 minutes from their, (in this case), spacious home in the town. As we experienced the cabin with of course the sauna and the delicious Finnish dishes and wonderful hospitality, it seemed to us that the attraction of the cabin by the lake is still a powerful one.

By: Finnpundit

Finnpundit — Thu, 02 Jun 2005 16:57:46 +0000

More liberal housing regulation would result in more affordable housing. The best judge of what works best is the market, not some academic bureaucrat or an aesthete.

Of course, some regulation is important, as even the marketplace relies on some standards of measure, in order to set prices. But communities should be able to adopt these kinds of regulations on a local basis, instead of being handed the rules from uphigh. The resulting competition between communities will keep government officials sufficiently on their toes to do what’s best for their communities.

As to building housing that will last, even that should be decided by the market. Just erecting more expensive buildings that will last longer will mean less housing on the market….

By: sanna

sanna — Thu, 02 Jun 2005 08:29:11 +0000

Hi Phil,
I agree with others about the high costs of apartments and houses, but I have another explanation too. It is expensive and many of us are down right horrified about the amounts of loan you need to build a huge house. At least I am, and I bet few other people living in northern Finland agree with me. If depression hits the house is worth nothing, if it is situated in sparsely populated area, and when you loose your job you’re in trouble. Let’s just say that I know few horror stories from the early 90’s. So, I will take the smallest loan possible to build a functional and nice house.

By: Malmi-fan

Malmi-fan — Thu, 02 Jun 2005 07:44:48 +0000

Phil, You are right. As many commenters here too.
Biding or buying houses is very expensive here, especially Helsinki region, because of land use regulation and building (safety, energy efficiency, esthetity etc) regulations.

Our new mayor Jussi Pajunen expressed it clearly. City of Helsinki owns 75% of the land, 15% is owned by the state and only 10% by private persons or companies.
(said also here http://www.hel.fi/ksv/english/currentplanning.html)
There are too many powerful people who like the idea, that building land is expensive. And that “raw land” can be transformed to “usable land” only by politicians and professional planners and architects.
See http://www.hel.fi/ksv/english/index.html
and wonder, why they do not say a word about Helsinki-Malmi Airport in English, although in Finnish they claim, that the airport must be demolished, because otherwise people cannot get bigger houses and apartments in Helsinki.
http://www.hel.fi/ksv/projektit/malmi/index.html
See also http://www.wmf.org/html/programs/finhel.html

By: Jukka

Jukka — Tue, 31 May 2005 21:54:26 +0000

You can imagine the trouble I’m having with a presidential race in Finland. Vote with my Party, SDP. Or vote for the male, bachelor, banker from Luxembourg. I’m a male, bachelor, banker from Luxembourg…OH DEAR!!!!

By: Phil

Phil — Tue, 31 May 2005 21:45:53 +0000

Luxembourgers??? Wiiihiii. Yes I???m one of them now. On my own and 70m2. How???s about that then??? Maybe I need an au pair.

SDPer my arse!! You’re a spy for Kokoomus and I’m going to tell the world about your secret!!

By: Jukka

Jukka — Tue, 31 May 2005 21:43:19 +0000

Luxembourgers??? Wiiihiii. Yes I’m one of them now. On my own and 70m2. How’s about that then??? Maybe I need an au pair.

By: MHH

MHH — Tue, 31 May 2005 20:35:58 +0000

Well, I did the reverse allmost 10 years ago - left my girl, sold my apartment and car, and moved more than 800 km south.

BTW, the compairson here is within europe - I’v also lived in north america, where they count every trailer and card box shack as house.

I prefer living here.

By: antti (the red neck one)

antti (the red neck one) — Tue, 31 May 2005 19:48:25 +0000

Feeling crampy? Take a risk. Fall in love with a girl from northern Finland, sell your skanky flat in Helsinki and use the money for a decent house and a car here. Enjoy the open spaces and straightforward people.

By: Markku

Markku — Tue, 31 May 2005 18:34:29 +0000

Finnish houses and apartment blocks are built to last, unlike in North America where single-generation houses are more common.