Dutch gas firm to buy up Groningen homes in earthquake zones

Dutch gas firm NAM made 10 million euro available for buying 50 unsaleable homes in the Groningen earthquake zone, Hans Alders, National Coordinator for Groningen, announced on Thursday, NU reports. This involves properties whose owners have to move due to circumstances, but can not get their homes sold. Such as people who got a job in another province, or older people who want to go to a nursing home, but can not do so until their homes are sold. The homes must have been on the market for at least a year. "It is certainly not that we are going to buy up houses everywhere", Alders said. "The scheme is intended for those people who are demonstrably in trouble and are hampered because they can not get rid of their homes."