Espoo | $1.02 million (€875,000)
A home near Lake Pitkäjärvi with a pool and two saunas
Built in 2005 and renovated in 2020, this six-bedroom, four-bathroom house is in a rural corner of Espoo, Finland’s second-most populous municipality. The neighborhood’s name, Vanhakartano, means “old mansion” in Finnish.
Surrounded by working farms, the half-acre property is a short walk from Lake Pitkäjärvi, popular with kayakers in summer and ice-skaters in winter. For shopping and services, locals head to the nearby villages of Niipperi and Järvenperä, whose K-City market has been called the world’s best grocery store.
Helsinki, which is Finland’s capital and most populous city, is about 15 miles southeast, and Helsinki Airport is the same distance northeast. Buses run from Vanhakartano to central Helsinki and Leppävaara in eastern Espoo, home to the 160-store Sello Shopping Centre. Nuuksio National Park, a 20-square-mile nature preserve, is about 12 miles northwest.
Size: 2,551 square feet
Price per square foot: $400
Indoors: The house was custom-built in 2005 by the Finnish developer Kannustalo. The sellers bought it in 2019 and completed a total renovation the next year, demolishing a fireplace on the main floor to create an open living and dining space. The kitchen, with black cabinets from the Finnish maker Puustelli, is equipped with Siemens appliances and a refrigerator from the Finnish brand Porkka. The space features pale hardwood floors and antiqued ceiling beams. A granite island doubles as a breakfast bar. A small room with sliding glass doors off the living area was used as an office. The main floor also features a sauna, a common feature in Finnish homes, along with a laundry room and bathroom.
There are four bedrooms on the second level, along with an open family room at the top of the stairs. The main bedroom features an en suite bath with a long sink as well as a tiled soaking tub. The other bedrooms share a bathroom. The finished basement can be used as an extra bedroom.
Outdoor space: As part of the renovation, the owners built a 650-square-foot wood deck with an in-ground pool, stone planters and decorative tile paving. An outbuilding was transformed into a pool house with sleeping quarters, a kitchen, a bathroom, a fireplace and a sauna. The pool house could function as an apartment or guest quarters.
A carport includes charging points for electric cars; the owners updated all outdoor lighting to LED.
Costs: Foreigners can buy property in Finland without restrictions, though non-E.U. buyers must obtain permission from the Finnish Defense Ministry. Buyers pay a 3 percent transfer tax on the purchase price, along with a notary fee of $88 (€75). Annual property taxes for this home total $1,365 (€1,167).
Contact: Petri Hietala | Re/Max Kodit | +358-040 051 9920
Helsinki | $1.03 million (€880,000)
A renovated apartment in a 1907 Art Nouveau building
This one-bedroom, two-bath apartment is on the fourth floor of a 1907 building in Punavuori, a hip section of Helsinki lined with cafes, galleries and boutiques. The Finnish architect Gustaf Estlander designed the granite building in the Art Nouveau Jugend style, which is characterized by curves, asymmetry and nature-inspired motifs.
Latitude 25, Finland’s first omakase restaurant, is on the building’s ground floor. The Sinebrychoff Art Museum, with Finland’s largest collection of old masters paintings, is around the corner. Kaffa Roastery, popular with locals for its potent coffee, is just south, along with Bob’s Laundry, a bar and laundromat. Helsinki Central Railway Station is less than two miles north.
Size: 1,162 square feet
Price per square foot: $886
Indoors: The third-floor corner apartment opens to a sunny living room with restored hardwood floors and 11-foot ceilings. A archway reveals a sitting area where tall corner windows overlook Albertinkatu Street.
The sellers overhauled the kitchen with sleek white cabinetry, black granite countertops and black appliances, and painted the rest of the apartment white.
The lone bedroom has tall windows and a wall of cabinetry. Both bathrooms are compact and feature stand-alone showers. The building does not have an elevator. Furniture is not included in the sale.
Outdoor space: While there is no outdoor space, the apartment’s windows offer sweeping views of Helsinki.
Costs: Apartment owners in Finland do not pay property taxes. Common charges for this apartment are $632 (€540) a month.
Contact: Tea Käyhkö | Snellman Sotheby’s International Realty | +358-503-701-883
Kittilä | $1.14 million (€975,000)
A lake home in Kittilä near ski resorts and a national park
This three-bedroom, two-bathroom house is in the woods near Lake Jerisjärvi in Kittilä, a small city popular with vacationers for its year-round outdoor activities. Kittilä is in Finland’s largest and northernmost region, Lapland, which is known for its pure air, wintertime Northern Lights and midnight sun in warmer months.
Levi Finland, the country’s biggest ski resort, is about 20 miles east. Pallas-Yllästunturi National Park, which covers nearly 400 square miles, is a few miles northwest. Shopping and services are available in Sirkka, about 22 miles southwest. Kittilä Airport, which serves European destinations, is about 30 miles southeast. Kolari, the northernmost train station in Finland, is an hour south by car.
Built in 2007, this house has grossed about $70,330 (€60,000) annually as a short-term rental for the sellers, who live nearby. This part of Kittilä is zoned as a holiday-home area; use of a house as a full-time residence requires special permission from the municipal government.
Size: 1,560 square feet
Price per square foot: $730
Indoors: A wood-paneled living and dining area with peaked ceilings and tall windows anchors the main floor. The room is heated by a hulking stone wood stove; geothermal heat warms the entire house. The kitchen features hardwood cabinets and Miele appliances. Two bedrooms on the lower floor share a bathroom. There is a sauna with two adjacent shower stalls, and a toilet in the laundry room.
A staircase leads to a second-floor living room with a sloped ceiling. The second floor includes a bedroom, but no bathroom.
Furniture is available through separate negotiation.
Outdoor space: The home is set on 1.64 wooded acres. A covered wood terrace features a decorative ceiling carved by local artisans. The carport includes charging stations for electric and hybrid vehicles.
Costs: Annual property taxes are $1,227 (€1,045).
Contact: Tea Käyhkö, Snellman Sotheby’s International Realty, +358-503-701-883
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