Finding a home to buy in the Netherlands has never been harder. Affordable properties are increasingly snapped up at hundreds of thousands of euros over the asking price, as featured on Dutch news show Nieuwsuur on 31 May 2021. Investor-driven subdivisions then reap huge rental profits. New restrictions on this practice are expected in 2022, if all goes according to plan.
Forty-year-old Nathalie shares 46 square meters with her daughter, a dog and a bunny, paying €950 a month in rent before utilities. Although her rent is higher than some and lower than others, she’s unable to save for a deposit and can’t qualify for social housing because her income slightly exceeds the eligibility threshold. She’s far from alone in this predicament.
With homeownership out of reach, Nathalie has launched a crowdfunding campaign aiming to collect €1 million from one million donors. “If each person gives one euro,” she says, “I’ll soon have my dream house.” Social media users have ridiculed her plea, but she deserves credit for her honesty and determination. So far, over €7,500 has been donated, with roughly a year left to reach her goal.
This isn’t the first time someone has taken an unconventional route to a home. In 2005, Canadian blogger Kyle MacDonald famously bartered a single red paperclip into a house through fourteen online trades over the course of a year—an endeavor that captured the world’s imagination.