If you can skip the queue, skip the queue

The standard procedure for buying an apartment in Sweden is to spend hours on property listings site Hemnet, go to numerous viewings, and be outbid by other buyers in consecutive bidding wars, until you finally manage to get your hands on a new home.

But many properties get sold even before they are put up for a public viewing.

“Try to avoid the nail-biting bidding war altogether. You do this by being proactive and arranging a private viewing of the apartment with the mäklare (estate agent) as soon as the apartment comes onto the open market. Sign up for email alerts from Hemnet. Then if you really like the place, make a good offer based on a current valuation (Booli is a very good site for this and you can even check what the seller originally paid for their apartment) and then ask for the property to be taken off the market. You’ll have to sign an agreement to buy it almost immediately,” says Krystian Bellière, a Briton in Stockholm.

It’s also worth trying to establish a good rapport with the estate agent.

“If you lose the bidding for a place in an area you really like, you can let the agent know that you are very interested in the area and would like to be informed if a similar place becomes available. If you show genuine interest (genuine being the operative word here), the agent might arrange a pre-showing and could even lead to a deal with the seller without having to go through another bidding process,” says Ravi Senevirathne, who also lives in Stockholm.

Practice makes perfect

Get to grips with the process before you delve in head first. Read up on how viewings, bidding and signing contracts work in Sweden – you may even want to go to a few viewings before you’re ready to buy anything, just to get accustomed to it and get a sense of what’s out there.

“Check Hemnet regularly to check similar houses that match your priorities for at least a month before you go out for viewings,” says Tamalika, an Indian in Helsingborg.

• Key questions to ask when apartment-hunting in Sweden

“Look around, visit as many apartments as you can, don’t settle too fast. Look for the reputation of the area too,” says Sandra from Indonesia, who lives in Gothenburg.

“Visit at least a couple of viewings casually before you get serious and most importantly don’t set your heart on one particular apartment even if it looks like your dream home. Follow a standard set of requirements that you have, for example ‘I need a 2:a [a two-room apartment] with a balcony that is 30 minutes from my workplace’. Just try to follow these requirements and be willing to compromise on a few of them,” says Ankit, who is from India and is based in Nacka, a Stockholm suburb.

Know your priorities – and your limits

On that last note above, it’s a good idea to decide in advance what you’re looking for, so you don’t fall head over heels with an apartment that doesn’t actually tick your essential boxes. Similarly, set a budget before you start bidding – it’s easy to get swept up in a fast process that takes place over text message and forget that you’re dealing with, well, real money.

“A lot of times, you’ll look at places with an asking price at the top of your budget but the final price will be out of your price range. To avoid disappointment, start lower with the expectation it’ll rise during bidding,” advises Sheena, an American in Stockholm.

“Don’t get into the emotional roller coaster of bidding on an apartment you are hesitant about. Find a place you actually want to buy, then contact the agent about the seller’s intentions, if they need to sell quickly and would accept a private offer, or if they expect a certain amount for the bidding,” suggests Vincent from Australia. “Avoid committing to bidding if you are hesitant. It is not worth it and even if you win the bid you may have reservations about signing the contract.”

Beware of hidden costs

If you’re buying an apartment in Sweden, it will likely be part of a bostadsrättsförening (BRF). This is the housing association that’s in charge of running the property, usually one or several blocks of apartments or rows of houses. Technically, you’re not actually buying the apartment itself – you’re buying the right to live in the property.

Each month, as well as your mortgage, you’ll pay fees to the BRF, which often cover maintenance of common areas like staircases, laundry room and plumbing. Check exactly what the monthly fee covers – it often includes water, heating, electricity and internet, but not always, and this could affect your total living costs in the future.

It is also worth looking into the finances of the BRF. If it has high debts, this leaves it vulnerable to fluctuations in the economy, which could force it to raise your monthly fee. The website Alla BRF offers information about each BRF and gives them a grade.

Do your research

Apart from trying to sell the property at as high a price as possible, the estate agent is meant to be impartial and protect both the seller’s and buyer’s interests. But that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t do as much of your own research as possible. Check the surroundings to get a feel for the area, and make sure that the agent’s claims about things such as the BRF’s finances, the internet speed and so on actually hold up.

Remember not to rush things. If you want a second look at the apartment before moving in (or if you want to get a professional to do it for you), it is usually perfectly acceptable to ask for an inspection clause that lets you back out if any nasty faults are uncovered.

“Check every single piece of information regarding the apartment. Don’t get into buyer’s remorse. Do check the apartment before the stipulated handover well in advance. If you don’t understand Swedish or any legal things, don’t hesitate to get professional help. Sometimes, the bank could help you with lawyers,” says Shamik, an Indian who lives in Malmö.

“Do not fall into ‘apartment buying madness’ due to peer pressure and rush through the process. Don’t believe the broker’s words on the asking price of the apartment. Always research and match the price with the market price for apartments in that locality. Then you can know the so-to-say ‘base price’. After viewing and checking the apartment, you have the chance to evaluate if the asking price is fair and can decide,” says Stockholm-based Chaitanya, also from India.

Article originally published in 2021. Thanks to everyone who responded to our survey, including those whose responses we could not include here. We edited some responses for grammar and clarity. If you have a question about life in Sweden or a story you’d like to share, contact our editorial team at [email protected].