Pulling up roots

When looking forward to the direction my life would be taking in the last few years, I never anticipated selling my home, to move to some place else in Norway. Yet that is what is happening.

Since I started commuting 3 hours to and from work, Husband has periodically brought up the idea of moving. Each time however the high price of real estate, the closer you get to the capital, and the uncertain job prospects for Husband in the event of a move, caused us to ditch the idea.

When it came up again in August, I asked whether Husband would consider renting rather than owning. It is a typical Norwegian opinion that renting is equivalent to throwing away money, while paying on a mortgage is putting money in your pocket. I have never quite bought this argument.

Anyway, Husband was not against the idea, and when he started looking for rentals on the internet, he found a house for rent on a farm, about 45 minutes from my work. The rent was reasonable, even though the house sounded a little smaller than we would have liked, and there was a mention of the possibility for a rent reduction in exchange for help on the farm. Upon inquiring what sort of help was meant, it turned out that their herdsmann had recently resigned. When they heard that husband had 6 years experience from just such a dairy operation: with loafing barn and milking robot, they immediatly offered him a job.

So we went to look at the place. It is a 300 year old house, that used to be the baking and brewing house on the farm. Now, nicely renovated for living in. It is about half the size of the one we have, and the outdoor area is not clearly devided from the farm family's. However the impression we got of the dairy operation was that it very well organised. There was not a piece of junk visible anywhere. Regarding the use of the yard, it sounded like nothing would be impossible, such as growing a vegetable garden, setting up a clothes drying rack, getting the use of a storehouse to store skis, bicycles, garden tools etc. Pets were no problem; the previous tenant had had 5 dobermans. The family also has a dog (we could have cats at our own risk - apparently he likes to chase them, but this dog is only marginally larger than our cats), and 3 children, aged 7, 12, and 14. The farmer is incredibly nice. His wife, who is an ICU nurse, more reserved. She seemed to make a point of keeping our households and space somewhat seperate, so as not to live in each others pockets. I think that is a good thing, as I am used to having my own space...

Originally we thought of renting our property, on further reflection however we have decided to put it on the market. It is less hassle in the long run. I was a bit of two minds at first. After all, in 8 years the mortgage will be paid off, and it will only cost me the taxes and insurance. However, as Husband pointed out, it would need a lot of work by then, so it would still cost more than is comfortable. The whole advantage of renting over owning is not having responsibility for the upkeep, and not being tied down. If there is any money left over by the time the bank, the realtors and the state have had their share, I plan to sink it into a savings bank, and either buy a vacation home in Norway, or a home in a warmer country at a later time.