A survey conducted by the real estate agency Bjurfors in 2022 showed that only six percent of the respondents were willing to pay more for a home if it had a sauna.
They were more interested, at least half of the respondents, in paying a little extra if the home had environmentally friendly and cost-effective heating, a newly renovated bathroom, or a renovated facade or roof.
According to several real estate agents, the attitude towards the value of a sauna in a home since then, despite the sauna fever that KAJ may have managed to whip up. But there may be exceptions.
It depends entirely on who the buyer is. If it's a sauna enthusiast, it could significantly increase the value, says Per Sangrud, PR and sustainability manager at the real estate agent Länsförsäkringar.
More mundane wishes
Even if comfort renovations, such as a pool and sauna, are not entirely wasted, it's other improvements and upgrades that buyers are looking for.
What we've seen over a fairly long period is that energy-saving measures like geothermal heating or solar panels play a significant role for buyers, says Per Sangrud.
At Svensk Fastighetsförmedling, communications manager Henrik Freudenthal says that he and his colleagues have discussed whether KAJ's sauna craze would make an impact on the housing market.
But we haven't seen that yet. Moreover, it's difficult to say anything about the overall picture since it's so geographically. Saunas have always been an asset in northern Sweden but not as much further south.
Hate saunas
He also notes that many have experienced that a newly renovated sauna often becomes a storage room where you store outdoor furniture during the winter, a few years after people get tired of sauna bathing.
So it's difficult to say that a sauna gives a definitive value increase, given that it's so individual. A balcony or outdoor space, everyone wants. There are people who say they hate saunas, but there's no one who says they hate balconies, says Henrik Freudenthal.
In 2022, the real estate agency Bjurfors conducted a survey on which renovations and upgrades of a home Swedes are willing to pay a higher housing price for. Sauna was not at the top.
Top five:
Environmentally friendly and cost-effective heating (villa only), 50 percent
Newly renovated bathroom, 49 percent
Renovated facade and roof (villa only), 49 percent
New pipes for water and sewage, 48 percent
New drainage (villa only), 39 percent
New kitchen, 39 percent
Bottom five:
Sauna, 6 percent
Newly painted surfaces (walls and ceiling), 6 percent
Newly sanded floors, 6 percent
Wine cellar/wine storage, 4 percent
Renovated outdoor space (villa only), 2 percent
The survey was conducted in Kantar Sifo's web panel between January 5-14, 2022. A total of 1587 people aged 18-79 were interviewed.
Source: Bjurfors
