The early stages
The first step of any property buying journey comes well before any money has been spent – this is the part of the journey, often before you’ve even decided you’re moving house, where you start scouring property sites such as Hemnet and Booli to see what’s out there.
First off, what is it you’re looking to buy? Are you interested in a villa (detached house)? Or is a terraced house (terraced house) what you’re after? Not wild about the idea of having to look after a garden, or want to stay in the city? Then a apartment (apartment) is your best bet.
If you’re looking for a holiday home or a summerhouse with space for culture, or growing vegetables, then you want to look for a leisure accommodation, or a empty (plot) if you’ve always dreamt of building your own property exactly how you want it.
Or, have you always dreamed of buying a Swedish farmhouse out in the countryside? Then you can look for a courtyard, with or without its own forest (forest).
Once you’ve decided what kind of property you want to buy, you can narrow down your search by the maximum price (max price), number of rooms (rum) and the size of the living area (living space/living area). You might also want your apartment building to have a hiss (lift), or a balcony (balcony).
Is an glass balcony (glazed balcony) a must for you? Photo: Ali Lorestani/TT
How do I read a floor plan?
Make sure to take a look at the floor plan (floor plan) to get an idea of whether or not the property layout will work for you. Generally, Swedish properties aren’t referred to as “two bedroom”, rather by the number of rooms, then the acronym yearshort for room and kitchen (room(s) and kitchen).
A one-bedroom apartment with a separate kitchen, a bathroom and no living room would be a 1 year, an 1:a or an ettafor example. If there was one bedroom, one living room, a kitchen and a bathroom, it would be a 2:a, a second, or 2 year. This is why it can be important to look at the floor planto see how many of those rooms are actually bedrooms. You might also see this written as 4 rooms, of which 2 bedrooms (four rooms, of which two bedrooms), if you’re looking at larger properties.
In Sweden, you usually buy a property with appliances (appliances) included, but lights are not included, rather there will be plug sockets in the ceilings which you can plug your own lights into. So, if you’re moving from abroad, make sure you buy the correct plugs in advance (or have floor lamps close to hand), so you’re not left in the dark.
Don’t expect there to be any lights in your new property when you move in – you’ll need to plug these in yourself, so make sure your lights have the right plugs for the sockets in your new home. Photo: Mona Sandberg/SCANPIX/TT
You’re also likely to see quite a few acronyms on floor plans which may need explaining. DM for example stands for dishwasher, a dishwasher. K/F is a fridge Freezer or fridge-freezer. G is a wardrobea wardrobe. TM/TT stands for washer/dryera washing machine and tumble dryer. You might also see KLK, closet, which can also mean a wardrobe, usually in a hallway.
When you’ve found a property you think could be interesting, see if there are any views (viewings) coming up. You might need to Report (sign-up) for these with the broker (estate agent) in charge of selling the property.
If you’re seriously considering buying a property in the near future, it may be a good idea to contact one (or multiple) banks for a loan promise, a lender’s note before you start attending viewings. This is a non-binding promise from the bank or lending institute, based on your income, the price of the property and the monthly fee (charge) for an apartment or terraced house, or the monthly running costs (operating cost) of a detached house.
Making a bid
So, you’ve found a property (residence) you like, and you’ve been to a viewing. You think it’s the one, so you put in a bid (to bid). Have a look at the starting price (starting price) for an idea on how much you should bid.
If you’re lucky, no one else is interested. If not, you might end up in a bidding (auction). Often, a broker will ask you if you have a loan promise before you start bidding, just to make sure you’re serious. It’s a good idea to keep the amount of money your loan promise covers secret from the broker you’re buying from, as you don’t want them to know the maximum amount you’d be willing to pay.
Once a bid (bud) has been accepted, the buyer (buyer) will meet with the seller (seller) to sign the contract (sign the contract). Here, you should discuss things such as access – the date where the buyer will be given access to the property, and how and when the buyer must pay down payment – their deposit (usually 10 percent of the price of the property, due ten days after the contract has been signed).
Unlike in some countries, bids on an apartment are not legally binding, so the buyer or seller can pull out of the purchase at any point up until the contract has been signed with no legal repercussions.
The rest of the price of the property, the purchase priceis paid on the accession datethe day where the buyers get access to the property. You will usually get this from your bank on the day you move in, but if some of your deposit (cash deposit) is dependent on the sale of another property, you may need to apply for an bridging loan – a loan which allows you to buy a new property before you have received payment for the property you’re selling.