Buyers guide

Source-backed guidance on buying and owning a home, country by country. Every rule links to the official source it comes from.

Sweden

The Swedish buying process, step by step: The whole journey from doing your sums to collecting the keys: who does what, when the purchase becomes binding, and what to have ready before each step.
Loan promise, loan-to-value cap and amortisation: How much you may borrow, how much of your own capital is required, and which amortisation rules apply after the legislative change of 1 April 2026.
Monthly cost, interest sensitivity and buffer: What a home actually costs each month, how much that swings with the interest rate, and what reserve is reasonable for your particular home.
Types of home in Sweden: what you actually own: Villa, terraced house, bostadsrätt, freehold, owner apartment, holiday home and new build, what you own, what you are responsible for, and what it costs.
Duty of inspection and surveying a house: What the law requires you to investigate, what a survey does and does not cover, and how to handle defects found before and after the purchase.
Energy certificate, radon and moisture: Three investigations that often decide whether a house becomes expensive or unhealthy, what the law requires, how measurements work, and how to read the results.
Bidding, contract and handover: How Swedish bidding actually works, which conditions you can write in, when the purchase becomes binding, and what happens on the day you get the keys.
Reviewing the bostadsrätt association finances: How to read the annual report, calculate debt per square metre, assess interest exposure and the maintenance plan, and which warning signs actually matter.
Running costs, tax and renovating a house: What a house costs to own over a year, how the municipal property fee differs from property tax, and what is required before you rebuild.
Location, commuting and everyday life: How to investigate an area using factual sources: travel times, schools as data, noise, sunlight, flooding and landslides, and the municipal plans for the land around it.
New construction and buying from abroad: Pre-agreements and allocation agreements, what can change before move-in, and what is practically required of you if you live outside Sweden.
After the purchase: insurance, defects and maintenance: The first weeks, what to do if a defect appears, how to keep the home records in order, and what makes a future sale easier.
What does buying cost? Stamp duty, mortgage deeds and fees: Everything on top of the price: title registration, mortgage deeds, association fees, loan costs and moving.
Taxes for homeowners: interest deduction, ROT and tax on gains: What you get back on interest, how the ROT deduction works, what you pay when selling and when deferral is possible.
Owning a home together: cohabitees, married couples and friends: What the Cohabitees Act says about the home, how inheritance works, when a cohabitation agreement and will are needed, and what applies to married couples.
Selling your home in Sweden: Agents and fees, what you are liable for after the sale, the tax return and deferral.
Insuring the home: house, bostadsrätt and holiday home: Which insurance you need from handover, what the association covers and what is often missing.
Neighbours, boundaries and renting out: Rules on trees and boundaries, subletting a bostadsrätt and how letting a house is taxed.

Denmark

The Danish buying process, step by step: From loan approval to handover day: who the agent works for, why your own buyer's adviser is the norm, the six-day withdrawal right and how the deed is registered digitally.
Loans, down payment and buying costs in Denmark: How financing splits between down payment, mortgage-credit loan and bank loan, what banks assess, and what registration costs.
Housing types in Denmark: freehold, owner-occupied flat and cooperative: What you actually own, who decides and how the price is set in each Danish housing type.
Due diligence in Denmark: The home inspection scheme, what the reports do and do not cover, change-of-ownership insurance and registered encumbrances.
Offers, purchase agreement and conditions in Denmark: How offers work, what belongs in the purchase agreement and which conditions protect you.
Reviewing the owners' or cooperative association: What to read in the articles, budget and annual accounts, and particular risks in cooperatives.
Property taxes and running costs in Denmark: Property value tax, land tax, interest deduction and the recurring costs of owning a home.
After purchase: insurance, defects, owning together and selling in Denmark: What to do in the first weeks, how to raise defects, how cohabiting partners protect themselves and when a gain on sale is tax-free.

Norway

The Norwegian buying process, step by step: From financing certificate to handover: viewings, the bidding round, when a bid binds, contract meeting and settlement through the agent.
Equity, loans and buying costs in Norway: The lending regulation in practice, financing certificates and the document duty paid when buying a freehold home.
Housing types in Norway: freehold, owner section and cooperative: What you own in each form and what it means for loans, charges and the freedom to let.
Due diligence in Norway: The condition report, the seller's liability after 2022, what you are expected to have read and the threshold for small defects.
Contract, settlement and handover in Norway: What the contract governs, how the money is secured and what to check at handover.
Reviewing the cooperative or owners' association: Shared debt, common costs, individual repayment schemes, board approval and pre-emption rights.
Taxes and running costs for homeowners in Norway: Municipal charges, property tax, wealth-tax value, interest deduction and maintenance.
After purchase: insurance, owning together and selling in Norway: Tax-free sale, cohabitation agreements and what to do when a defect appears.

Finland

The Finnish buying process, step by step: Two different purchases: shares in a housing company, or real estate with a deed and title registration. How both work.
Loans, loan cap and buying costs in Finland: The loan cap, debt-free price and loan share, transfer tax and why interest is no longer deductible.
Housing types in Finland: housing shares or real estate: What you own, who maintains what and what a leased plot means.
Due diligence in Finland: Condition inspection, moisture risks in certain build years, the housing company's documents and how hidden defects are handled.
Offers, deposits and deeds in Finland: How an offer binds, what the deposit means and how the purchase is completed.
Reviewing the housing company: Charges, loan share, upcoming renovations and the company's finances.
Running costs and taxes for homeowners in Finland: Property tax, company charges, energy and maintenance.
After purchase: registration, owning together and selling in Finland: Register ownership, protect cohabiting partners and understand tax when you sell.

United Kingdom

The UK buying process, step by step: From mortgage in principle to completion in England, and how Scotland differs.
Mortgages, deposit and stamp duty in the UK: How large a deposit is needed, how lenders assess affordability and what stamp duty costs from April 2025.
Freehold, leasehold and other ownership types: What you actually own, why lease length matters and what shared ownership means.
Due diligence in the UK: Survey levels, searches, the seller's forms, EPC and flood risk.
Offers, exchange and completion: Why an accepted offer does not bind, what happens at exchange and completion, and how to protect yourself.
Leasehold: lease length, ground rent and service charges: What to check in the lease and management before buying a flat.
Council tax and running costs in the UK: What council tax is, how bands work and what costs come with a home.
After purchase: owning together, selling and tax: Joint tenants or tenants in common, Private Residence Relief and the 60-day rule.

United States

The US home-buying process, step by step: From pre-approval to closing: agent agreements, offers with contingencies, escrow, inspection, appraisal and what differs between states.
Mortgages, down payment and closing costs in the US: Loan types, PMI, the Loan Estimate and what makes up closing costs.
Housing and ownership types in the US: Single-family, condo, co-op and townhouse, and how two people can hold title together.
Due diligence in the US: Home inspection, lead and radon, flood zones, seller disclosures and title.
Offers, contingencies, escrow and closing in the US: What a purchase agreement contains, which contingencies protect you and how closing works.
Reviewing an HOA, condo association or co-op: Governing documents, dues, reserves, special assessments and the board's powers.
Property tax, insurance and deductions in the US: What goes into a monthly payment (PITI), how property tax is set and which federal deductions exist.
After purchase and selling in the US: Homestead, the $250,000 or $500,000 gain exclusion and what the seller pays.