Land buying in Finland

To begin with it is necessary to bring some clearness in determinations. Few-storeyed housing construction develops in Finland of ten years, and there there is a clear split of the earths for building on a functional purpose. The earths of settlements — a zone of building for constant residing. The earths intended for building of objects for rest and carrying out of holiday, that is summer residences or tourist objects («the second house» concerns them). Each of these zones can consist as of individual sites with the right to building of one-two objects, and the sites intended for the developer companies with a considerable quantity of objects of the permitted building. Both zones are determined by the general or regional plan for development of the territories, the confirmed ministry of environment.

The earths of settlements, as a rule, settle down near to cities, in coordination with objects of an engineering and transport infrastructure, social and cultural and community appointment. Thus visually no means always it is possible to distinguish cottage settlement as that from a conglomerate of individual cottages. If in Russia settlements are in overwhelming majority fenced by fences in Finland fences practically are absent, they are replaced for a long time by green hedges. "Iron Curtain" for strangers in Finland it is not required, therefore the territories outlined by a high fencing, and boxes of the security guard it is not observed. Settlements are allocated unless with a generality of the architectural decisions sometimes rather interesting as over creation of uniform style highly professional studios work.

The earths intended for rest, gravitates to unique natural landscapes or to recreation places more: to mounting skiing resorts, racing tracks, horse or to golf clubs and etc. Settlements there are under construction capital — for all-the-year-round use, duly wooden Finnish architecture, with a modern engineering infrastructure and internal filling of a class "lux". The buyer of a cottage becomes simultaneously the potential participant of rent business as houses in such settlements concern the housing joint stock companies having managing and maintaining structure, capable to dispose of your property and for profit extraction. That for Russians who cannot live owing to the objective reasons in Finland all-the-year-round, frequently happens completely not superfluous.

Is to Finland and the small tourist settlements constructed in 1970-1980th years, as a rule, near to farms, for summer use. In them conduct the summer vacations of a family which do not have summer residences. However by this time constructions in these settlements have strongly worn out also demand for rest in them dies away. But demand for the country sites located on silent lonely coast of wood lakes (it is dream of many Finns) grows. This splash in activity in the market last years has led to a repeated rise in price of such sites, and in some areas to their deficit. Besides, the value addition of country houses will be promoted by intentions of the Finnish state to raise the requirement to preservation of the environment and toughening of rates of power savings. Changes will cause obligatory building of new septic tanks and increase of a thermal protection of walls, and it considerably will increase construction and operating costs of country cottages.

The Earth for settlement or sites with the right to building are acquired by the investor in the free market, and also at the state auctions which are conducted in regional or city communities, interested in development and attraction of taxpayers. After a land acquisition the investor, by group of investors or the initiator of business founds housing joint stock company which is the customer of designing, buildings, and further becomes the maintaining organisation.

Building of settlements in Finland

Any developer including Finnish, aspires to receive the maximum return from a mastered site so, is interested to construct on it of more houses. However the quantity of houses in such settlement is not determined only by desire of the developer. If the site new also is included in the urbanization plan, quantity of home ownerships, the scheme of connection of communications, the plan and the task on building (up to instructions of colour of materials and a roof inclination) are regulated in advance. As the population of Finland is insignificant, for decrease in commercial risks on such sites do not permit to build many houses — usual from one to several tens.

If the developer company itself has found a site and designates it for realisation of the big project it begins with development of idea and the preliminary coordination of the sketch of settlement. Further there is a change of appointment of the ground area if it is required, entering into a cadastre and etc. In general, procedure from creation of the sketch before building licence reception rather long and demands patience. It is necessary to tell that on project change, up to its cancellation, local residents, and also the ministry of environment and the ministry of protection of monuments can affect. And if there are weighty arguments contra, to overcome them it is represented unreal. Therefore the developer can acquire interesting (from its point of view) and expensive site for settlement on 15-20 houses, and to receive the building licence only three-four houses.

When all these questions are solved, building begins. Further on the market sites, and houses which ready or are under construction are offered not. The house and the share property in general property, including in the form of the earth will be object of the transaction. This property is expressed by quantity of stocks according to the acquired area of the under construction house. If the house is bought in the course of building, the accurate schedule of production of works and stage-by-stage payment is applied on the agreement. Each house has a personal plot under the agreement with «About responsibility differentiation».

Building conducting is determined by marketing strategy of the investor, its possibilities on financing, requirements of the market, and also requirements of administration of area at first and to building end. Who from purchased the house at an early stage will want to listen to building noise and to knead a dirt before the house? Therefore investors try to think over in advance financing so that to observe target dates of building and to finish works irrespective of, houses are sold or not. Besides, at an early stage of building they aspire to prepare as fast as possible a demonstration cottage and to generate a landscape for more complete perception the client of a picture of settlement.

Houses in cottage settlements of Finland always are on sale with complete internal furnish, the kitchen furniture, equipped with the home appliances, ready electroinstallation, with the connected systems of heating and ventilation, sometimes with a fireplace. If the plan provides a sauna, it too should be completely equipped; otherwise the house simply will not manage to be put to the state inspector in operation. Besides, if the house is acquired in the course of building, there is a possibility of a choice of materials.

In settlements can be offered both separate cottages, and the blocked cottages which are referred to as at us townhouses. Technologies of building can be thus different, that is cellular concrete, and glued a bar, and others wall materials are applied also. Though, of course, a corporate style of the Finnish builders — qualitative, durable and very cosy wooden houses.

Problems of operation of real estate

Even before commissioning the settlement exists legally as housing joint stock company. As a matter of fact, this non-commercial enterprise on object operation, as well as any apartment house in Finland. In overwhelming majority of such settlements the joint economy on servicing is led, there can be attendants and small technics. The supreme body — shareholders meeting which confirms the director, the charter, the budget, makes decisions on development and repair and etc.

Expenses on the maintenance thus quite on a pocket to any proprietor. The recommended level of monthly operating costs accepted at shareholders general meeting, constitutes about one euro from square metre of the area of the house. The calculated sum includes expenses on maintenance of roads, elements of an infrastructure and settlement property; care of wood; recycling of garbage from fee point; supervision behind houses, the control of engineering systems and heating level; mail sorting; rendering of telephone and consulting services, and also cottage delivery in rent. We will underline once again: in Finland it is easy enough to rent country real estate that considerably facilitates and without that not heavy burden of working expenses.

Except general expenses on the house maintenance, there are also individual. Them concern: costs for obligatory insurance, property tax payment, a payment for electro- and water supply, annual survey of a fireplace and flue cleaning. If to sum up, for example, the maintenance of a cottage the area of 100 sq. m will manage approximately in 2800 euros a year. For the employed inhabitant of Finland it is quite feasible.

Benefits of the purchaser of real estate in Finland

Real estate acquisition in cottage settlement can be favourable from the different points of view. For example, if an individual site not on means the house in settlement is cheaper. Thus in most cases the buyer acquires something more, than the owner-individual presumes. For example, inhabitants of settlement quite often receive in the order the equipped mooring for yachts and boats while to build such construction alone — it is too unprofitable. Agree: collective access to the blessings is better, than their complete absence.

Any special government programs for habitation acquisition in Finland are not present. More often as investors of new building in Finland banks act, they and prepare together with the builder interesting offers for buyers. The size of advance (25–30 % of cost) and the remained sum taking into account a bank interest (about 5 %) with a deferred payment for 20–30 years are thus established. In the offer on sale it is accepted to count expenses on the maintenance of the house and the monthly sum on loan repayment. Then the buyer can correlate at once costs for acquisition with the monthly income. To crediting of citizens of other countries and the persons who do not have incomes in EU, at the Finnish banks other approach — in each case of a condition are discussed at negotiations, and the decision is accepted according to banking policy at present.

If to compare purchase and sale conditions in Finland and Russia it becomes clear that at our neighbours of a condition of transactions more ra-zumnye and transparent. So, if at us contracts of purchase and sale of real estate the inventory cost of objects rather far from real transaction price in Finland (as well as in other European countries) such "cunnings" simply are not accepted because of their obvious unprofitableness for both parties frequently appears. Frequently all sum of transaction is paid by the buyer right after signings by the parties of the agreement of purchase and sale, instead of after transaction registration, as in Russia. Finns less think much and of official registration of papers. For example, it is possible to make corrections by a ball pen to the printed text of the agreement of purchase and sale, and the document without problems will be registered. Besides, in Finland buyers concern a situation when interests of the proprietor or the buyer of real estate are represented by the authorised representative more loyally.

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