Sunday, the big viewing day of the week. March 29, the last viewing Sunday before new, relaxed mortgage rules come into effect.
On Kungsholmen in Stockholm, it's cold, but the sun is shining. Couple after couple enter through the heavy red gate and queue for the elevator that takes ages to come down. Fourth floor.
"You get into trouble"
Speculator Simon Karlsson is standing in the kitchen with his partner. He thinks the new mortgage rules are overrated because he believes prices will skyrocket.
Sure, you have the option to make a smaller cash down payment, but I don't think it will be positive for anyone, he says, and continues:
I think you're getting yourself into trouble.
Sara Tegström and Calle Göransson, inside the bathroom, are thinking much the same thing as they look for their first home together. They won't take out a 90 percent mortgage.
I don't think the rules will benefit buyers that much, because I think the market will go up afterwards. So I mainly think it will benefit the banks, who can lend more money, says Calle Göransson.
The lowered amortization requirement won't help them either.
It's fun to amortize, he says.
Press ones
There are many questions from speculators to broker Tolgay Erdinc from Länsförsäkringar. When will the change of ownership be completed? Is the move-in date in June? Will there be additional viewings? Hidden bids?
It is primarily on smaller apartments that the new rules will be felt, Tolgay Erdinc believes. He and his colleagues have already seen a rush towards, for example, one-bedroom apartments. A good push, he describes.
You can also see that the first-time buyers, in particular, have really calculated things thoroughly before placing a bid. But for the others, the established speculators, there is not as much difference.
What do you think is the cause?
They have a bigger cash investment, so they are not really affected in the same way. But there is still a lot of business being done, so I don't feel that it has slowed down in any way. It will be exciting now that we are actually entering April and seeing a difference anyway, he says.
Mortgage ceiling:
The ceiling is raised from 85 percent to 90 percent of the value of the home. This means that a cash deposit of 10 percent is required instead of the previous 15 percent. For an apartment worth 2 million SEK, a cash deposit of 200,000 instead of 300,000 is sufficient.
The amortization requirement:
The stricter amortization requirement is being removed. This means that you no longer have to make extra amortization if the loan exceeds 4.5 times your annual income.
The new rules will enter into force on April 1, 2026.
