Creating optimism: affordable housing for young adults

In mid-October, s Bausparkasse brought together around 60 home building consultants from Tyrol at the Building and Living Forum to discuss the challenges and solutions for affordable living space. Sales Manager Christian Frisch and Head of Risk Management Daniela Gregor presented the developments in the product and condition offerings of s Bausparkasse. 

Prof. (FH) Emanuel Stocker from the University of Applied Sciences Kufstein Tirol addressed the relevance of affordable housing concepts, which are important for a sustainable future. In his lecture, he explained the current challenges and solution approaches in the real estate sector, in particular in the housing market. Although the real estate market shows stable prospects, the housing market remains under considerable pressure due to the short supply. Stocker pointed out that it is necessary to make a number of adjustments – from more efficient construction processes and the optimization of administrative procedures to the adaptation of building regulations – in order to achieve noticeable relief.

The first deputy state governor, Dr. Georg Dornauer, also took part in the panel discussion. He emphasized that the creation of affordable housing is particularly important for young people: “The most beautiful home is of no use to us if our young people can no longer afford it.” With the housing subsidy, additional support is already being offered for young people to help them with their housing costs, in order to meet the challenge of high housing costs and the sharp increase in construction costs. However, this is not the end of the line: “To make housing affordable, we all have to pull together. Without the private financing options of our domestic banks, this would not be possible,” said Georg Dornauer, Deputy Governor for Housing.

During the discussion, Sonja Settari, regional manager of s Bausparkasse, gave an optimistic outlook on the future direction of residential construction financing: Young people would continue to look for their own living space in order to make long-term provisions for their future. In this context, the addition to and conversion of used residential units is playing an increasingly important role. This not only helps to reduce soil sealing and improve the use of limited building land, but also contributes to the continuous increase in energy efficiency. 

She emphasized that the employees of s Bausparkasse and the Sparkasse take into account the financial situation and needs of their customers. The aim is to support customers in realizing their housing plans by providing suitable financing solutions and subsidies.

In conclusion, the Building and Living forum provided valuable approaches for making living space more accessible and affordable for young people in the long term.