Buying a flat / home

Finding a place to call home is a key step in settling into a new country. On this page, you will find helpful information on how to purchase a flat or house, along with tips on where to begin your search.

When you buy an apartment in Sweden, you purchase the right to live in an apartment (bostadsrätt) and become a member of the respective housing cooperative (bostadsrättsförening). You pay a purchase price, and then monthly fees (månadsavgift) which cover repairs and maintenance of the building, and sometimes electricity, heating, digital television and internet.

If you purchase a house you have full ownership of the house and its property.

Both apartments and houses include a cooker, fridge and freezer.

When buying a property in Sweden, a real estate agent provides a neutral link between you and the seller. The whole sale process is often very fast. It usually involves property viewings, shortly followed by a bidding process where the seller sets a starting price and then buyers try to outbid each other - usually via sms. Before bidding on a home, you should contact your bank and ask them for a loan promise (lånelöfte). The usual requirement for a home loan in Sweden is a deposit of 15% and proof of secure income.

As a rough guide, in the Gothenburg region apartment prices are around SEK 30,000-80,000 per square metre, while the average house will cost around SEK 30,000-60,000 per square metre.

Most apartments and houses for sale in Gothenburg and West Sweden can be seen on the websites Hemnet and Booli. Local newspapers often have property listings. Real estate agents (mäklare) can also help you find a place and have property listings.

All homes are advertised in terms of their size in square metres (boarea) and number of rooms (excluding kitchen and WC). House listings will also include the size of the lot (tomtarea) and sometimes the size of areas where use is limited (biarea), such as a basement or garage.