Buying a flat in Stockholm -update

I knew buying a flat in Stockholm was never going to be easy but I didn’t expect it to be as stressful or exhilarating as it was today.

I narrowed it down to two flats in Stockholm that I liked. One was 48m the other 56m they both had pros and cons and I really could not decide which one was best.  For instance one was 5 mins walk from the main square and amenities, the other was top floor needed no work, the other needed a kitchen fan, no dishwasher etc  etc

Tomorrow I am off to Göteborg for the big travel trade fair TUR. So I knew I had to do the deal today or there would be no deal because the seller would want to get the contact signed off asap and wouldn’t wait until I am back next week.

Bidding was frantic but all within budget. Then at 5pm I started to use some of the sales ‘closes’ I have employed in my professional life. I laid it on the line that I would sign that night etc

The cheaper one agreed and it was mine for 1,480,000 SEK. Great that was way under what I expected to be paying out. I said yes.

I had to be at the office for 7.15pm to sign. Then a phone call, the other property which was at 1,580,000 SEK was torn between accepting my bid or waiting to see if it would rise the next day. The other 2 bidders wanted to sleep on it.

Tricky scenes eh!

So I decided to go for the cheaper one but ten mins before I was leaving the office, I had a nagging doubt. I checked out the other one again, hmm it is nice, needs very little work, top floor, shit! shit! shit! I tried ringing Miss P – no answer…so I called in a few colleagues and they unanimously agreed that the more pricier one looked better.

So I rang the estate agent and he said he doubted whether the owner would agree as she wanted 1,620,000 SEK some 40,000 SEK more than I had bid. Still a fair price as the similar one, two doors up,  I lost last week went for 1,660,000 SEK and another one a five or so doors up went for 1,700,000 SEK so she wasnt fleecing me.

She also said she was unsure about agreeing in case I changed my mind again. Fair enough considering I had said no once that night.

But my sales skills kicked in and I told the guy if she would agree to 1.6 million SEK she would have my signature within the hour.

So he said he would call back. Picture the scene, my coat is on and I am leaving the office. The flat I had agreed on, their estate agent was in Årsta, the one I was waiting to hear from was at Globen. So I had to head for Gullmarsplan anyway and if I had not heard by the time I reached there, I would be hopping on the tvärbana for Årsta.

This was a surreal ride on the tube, potentially life changing. I am not deeply religious but believe in fate and destiny with a large dose of que sera sera.

The phone rang…..

and rang…

and the answer was…

forthcoming….

she said yes!

So tonight we met, a really nice lady, the mäklaren was a very nice guy, it was all amicable and contracts were signed.

I am so very excited, I move in at the end of April.

I was so tempted to buy an expensive drop of malt to celebrate but I have three heavy days ahead at the trade fair and as ‘Nordenschef’ for my company I need to be on the ball so I shall wait until Friday night and take a few beers then. Hangover on Saturday tror jag!

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1. Buying a flat in Stockholm – update
2. Buying a flat in Sweden
3. latest on buying a flat in Stockholm
4. Flat sold, getting into the final days of my Swedish adventure
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