Country Guides Country Guide: Sweden

Date Published:

01/07/2009

Where To Buy

Sweden’s major cities of Stockholm, Gothenborg and Malmo are dynamic, modern centres that embrace a post-industrial future, where IT is a big economic driver.

Gothenburg, on the west coast, has a world-class opera house. Malmo, on the south coast, is Sweden’s link to Europe, following the completion of a 16 kilometre-long bridge and tunnel linking it to Copenhagen, Denmark. Stockholm, built on an archipelago of 14 islands, is one of Europe’s great cities. Historic and vibrant with a well-educated population, it’s home to many attractive properties.

Naturally, house prices vary greatly across the country with those in the cities being far higher than in rural areas. In the southern Sweden region of Skane – particularly around the picture postcard seaside villages of Falsterbo and Skanor, whose desirable and upmarket wooden houses are the local equivalent of The Hamptons – a three-bedroom cottage will cost around £200,000.

Bargain prices can be found in the country’s sparsely populated north. Three-bedroom properties set on a lake, with the nearest neighbour miles away, can be bought from £25,000. But this isn’t terrain for the faint-hearted. In winter it’s below freezing for several months and often cut off due to snow. Those in search of a winter wonderland only need enquire.

What To Buy

As you might expect, property to buy in the cities is traditionally European in appearance – the majority of older buildings are brick built and the apartments are generally no more than several storeys high. New build properties tend to be prefabricated (built offsite and erected onsite) which enables them to be built to higher thermal standards (which saves energy and CO2 emissions) and constructed more quickly – but not with a lessening of quality.

Outside the major cities, timber-built homes are more the norm – both in suburban and rural communities. The classic steeply pitched roof (it helps the snow slide off) homes are often detached and brightly painted in hues of red, blue and yellow. Why? The vibrant colours bring some relief to the otherwise long, dark nights that last for several months in this most northerly of countries.