Scandinavians take drastic steps to get into housing boom

Copenhagen

JOAKIM Bakka, a 29-year-old shop worker, was so desperate to get into Norway's booming housing market that he was prepared to borrow money at 13 per cent for a deposit to buy a home.

It would have been risky but he felt he had no choice. Bakka, from the Norwegian city of Drammen, is not alone in considering such drastic steps.