Everybody says rent until you make up your mind whether to stay (and for lower taxes somehow), but I really hate throwing money away like that, so I've always owned something. Do you think it's practical to move to Oslo and then within a few months buy a house? I've heard the bank will give you a mortgage regardless of your time spent in Norway, as long as you have the job to support it. Is that true?
My impression is the deals are to the north and east; e.g. in Akershus county you can find an actual house (as opposed to a row house or apartment) within walking distance of a T-bane stop, for not much more than what a flat costs in Oslo. I think I'd like to find something like that. But is it attainable for a foreigner at all, or do they have discriminatory barriers of some kind?
Also how much does one pay to heat a house in the winter? I figure that may be the main advantage to an apartment - not so many exposed walls. I'm from Phoenix so not really used to that whole heating concept at all. ;-) But I've always hated the summers here too.