Purchasing A Property In Sweden As Expats

We are Swedish homeowners! And it reminds me a little of the house from the film Up (in a good way).

A lot of people don’t know about this and lot of people do, including some who were surprised we purchased so quickly after arriving in the country.  BUT, we have been coming to Sweden for years (as I have mentioned before) and we knew what we intended to do well in advance. Plus lets face it if we give it a few years and it is not for us then we are simply on to the next adventure (although I doubt that will be the case).

The Process

I thought I would share some information about the house purchase itself as it is different to what we were used to in the UK.  Some of those differences include:

• When houses are listed they can appear with an estate agent as upcoming in the future or on hemnet.se where you can search by your criteria and area.
• We were recommended an estate agent by a friend, SvenskFastighetsformedling, who we met with, gave our criteria of what we were looking for and they add to their database, which then emails us properties that match for consideration.
• They mostly operate by open houses where they have days allocated and book time slots for viewings.
• The seller must complete an inspection in advance and when you look at a house that is listed you can view this report to see everything that is right and wrong, or needs work, with the property.
• The investigate also acts as an insurance should there be issues further down the line.
• The purchase itself is like a bidding system and you can see the other bids on the property as this progresses.
• If you are successful you must pay a 10% deposit within 10 days of your bid being accepted and paperwork with the estate agent.
• The estate agent also acts as a solicitor so no need to source your own for this. 
• As part of the process the estate agent will liaise with the bank to ensure the process is smooth and everything is in order for the day of completion.
• The seller must thoroughly clean the property and the buyer must sign this off/approve ahead of completion.
• The buyer and seller must agree what is to remain and what is to go in advance otherwise the seller must remove within 2 weeks of completion.
• On the day of completion, the seller and buyer is present at the estate agents to complete the documentation, read through of the contract, signing and transfer of monies.

Completing The Purchase

I was actually in the UK when the completion date came around so my husband dealt with it all. He had to go in and sign papers with the sellers for the handover and as the estate agent managed the liaison with the bank the monies were sorted and keys passed over.

We found the entire process very efficient and it was less than 3 months from start to finish.

After completion we also received an email from the estate agent informing us that as part of their service, we get something called property value. This means we can follow the development of the value of our new home. Once a month, they will email us with an updated value based on how prices are changing in the local housing market.

What Is Next?

We are planning to renovate the property we bought and have met with an architect who has completed drawings after discussing our requirements with us. This was hugely useful as we learned a lot of the rules that are in place in Sweden, and she could advise on how to change some of the ideas we had for the better.  The plans have been submitted for approval so fingers crossed!

We have met with a builder, and are in the process of getting quotes and arranging what will be done when.

Exciting times so watch this space and I will share more of the renovation project as it develops!