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Re:Leaving Google by nivenkos on Tuesday July 06, 2021 @04:56AM (#27745729)
But the issue is when you can't afford a home. Here in Sweden the average price for a flat is like 400k euros.

And then those are usually in a shared building so you can't "just" install air conditioning even then.

The housing crisis is the real issue for sure.

Re:Leaving Google by secondcoming on Tuesday July 06, 2021 @05:53AM (#27746147)
The UK, Ireland and loads of other places are having housing affordability issues. It's quite serious, but nobody wants property prices to fall.

Investment funds are buying up new housing estates by outbidding normal buyers. Even John Lewis, a retailer, is getting into the housing business [0]. The whole system is broken. Personally, I'm half-seriously considering buying a boat.

[0] https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-57712618

Re:Leaving Google by aqsalose on Tuesday July 06, 2021 @07:56AM (#27747192)
I have understood that Swedish housing is a specially bad case, or at least in Finland we like to tell unbelievable horror stories of Swedish housing (Stockholm rent-controlled apartment market where one either waits on queue for years, except if you know the right people; if you are not renting, deal with housing mortgages that are structured so that you will never pay them back in full during your lifetime).

(edit. Main point, Sweden is not necessarily a representative case of "Europe".)

Re:Leaving Google by benhurmarcel on Tuesday July 06, 2021 @08:47AM (#27747750)
Housing is indeed getting quite expensive, but on an engineer's salary you are in the few lucky ones that are easily able to pay off that 400kâ‚Ĵ before your 40s (maybe your 50s at most).