"I bought a house in Sweden for €28k after being priced out of my hometown"
- 10 months ago
A woman from Germany bought a remote house in Sweden for just €28k - after randomly stumbling across cheap homes listed online.
Sophie Falke, 28, paid 90 per cent of the £28k cost upfront - after originally believing she'd never be able to buy a house in her lifetime.
The average house price in her hometown of Leipzig, Saxony, Germany, is £2.5k per square metre.
Having gone on several holidays to Sweden in her childhood, Sophie finally decided to take the plunge in June.
But while browsing some “dream” homes in January this year, Sophie found a small real estate website local to Sollefteå, Sweden, which sells houses for €28k to €40k - roughly £24k to £34k.
Initially planning on investing with a group of friends, Sophie took the project on herself due to waning interest.
She registered her interest without thinking it would lead to anything - but she got a call from an estate agent two days later asking whether she’d like to view a property.
At the end of March, Sophie made the six-hour journey to Sollefteå, Sweden, and after touring the home, decided to take it as a holiday home - and will eventually rent it out to holidaymakers on AirBnb once she's finished renovating the guest house.
She put a €2.8k downpayment on it before paying the rest upfront on move-in day.
Sophie, a marketer, who splits her time between Leipzig, Germany and Sollefteå, Sweden, said: “I never really thought I’d have the money to buy a house, and certainly not on my own.
"But looking at the Swedish houses on the website, I thought it would be so dreamy to have a house I could go to in winter and summer.
“It all went super, super quickly. I viewed the property - which has a main house and a couple of little buildings on it - and I really liked it.
“I remember the buildings were covered in snow - to be honest, I could barely see them.
“I thought about it for a while after going back to Germany because I didn’t just want to buy the first house I fell for.
"But after seeing the other houses, I called the agent and told her I’d be happy to take that first one.
“She told me she’d talk with the seller - and they basically agreed immediately.
"Within two weeks of seeing the house for the first time - I’d signed the contract and put the first 10 per cent of payment down.”
Sophie had fallen in love with Sweden after being taken there on family holidays as a child.
Sophie Falke, 28, paid 90 per cent of the £28k cost upfront - after originally believing she'd never be able to buy a house in her lifetime.
The average house price in her hometown of Leipzig, Saxony, Germany, is £2.5k per square metre.
Having gone on several holidays to Sweden in her childhood, Sophie finally decided to take the plunge in June.
But while browsing some “dream” homes in January this year, Sophie found a small real estate website local to Sollefteå, Sweden, which sells houses for €28k to €40k - roughly £24k to £34k.
Initially planning on investing with a group of friends, Sophie took the project on herself due to waning interest.
She registered her interest without thinking it would lead to anything - but she got a call from an estate agent two days later asking whether she’d like to view a property.
At the end of March, Sophie made the six-hour journey to Sollefteå, Sweden, and after touring the home, decided to take it as a holiday home - and will eventually rent it out to holidaymakers on AirBnb once she's finished renovating the guest house.
She put a €2.8k downpayment on it before paying the rest upfront on move-in day.
Sophie, a marketer, who splits her time between Leipzig, Germany and Sollefteå, Sweden, said: “I never really thought I’d have the money to buy a house, and certainly not on my own.
"But looking at the Swedish houses on the website, I thought it would be so dreamy to have a house I could go to in winter and summer.
“It all went super, super quickly. I viewed the property - which has a main house and a couple of little buildings on it - and I really liked it.
“I remember the buildings were covered in snow - to be honest, I could barely see them.
“I thought about it for a while after going back to Germany because I didn’t just want to buy the first house I fell for.
"But after seeing the other houses, I called the agent and told her I’d be happy to take that first one.
“She told me she’d talk with the seller - and they basically agreed immediately.
"Within two weeks of seeing the house for the first time - I’d signed the contract and put the first 10 per cent of payment down.”
Sophie had fallen in love with Sweden after being taken there on family holidays as a child.