UK residents looking to buy Finnish lake cabin...

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Hello,

My name's Josh and I'm in the midst of exploring the opportunity to buy a small lake cabin in Finland with my wife and was hoping some of you could answer my questions.

I spent my summers growing up in Maine (USA) but over the last ten years have spent a lot of time travelling around Scandinavia, with last year seeing me buy a super cheap bike in Helsinki, taking the train to Kolari and then cycling to Tromso, an amazing experience to see the varying landscapes.

Scandinavia at times feels like Maine's twin that is on may doorstep being a UK resident and I'm now at a point I'd like a more concrete (or wooden) connection to the region so am considering buying the cabin which is based on Lake Konnevesi and we would also look to rent out a few weeks in summer to try and cover costs.

The agent for the property we're dealing with is really helpful but I was hoping some of you would be able to shed light on costs for developing the property, sourcing property management and any other relevant links to information that would be of use to a couple looking to buy a holiday home / rental in Finland?

The cabin has no water or electricity so we're looking at solar and reverse osmosis systems, it currently has a kitchen and open plan area with a side bedroom with a double bed. Our hope is to develop the cabin, creating a double bed and space for two singles so a family can stay and then create a small "pod" for another family to sleep in along with some cosmetic work to be done on the wood sauna. So far sourcing such services to help has been hard to find and I'm thinking it may be a case of connecting with people when we go over to see the property.

I'll leave it there for now but would like to thank anyone advance for information.

Josh

[FinlandGirl]

Scandinavia at times feels like Maine's twin that is on may doorstep being a UK resident and I'm now at a point I'd like a more concrete (or wooden) connection to the region so am considering buying the cabin which is based on Lake Konnevesi and we would also look to rent out a few weeks in summer to try and cover costs.

The agent for the property we're dealing with is really helpful but I was hoping some of you would be able to shed light on costs for developing the property, sourcing property management and any other relevant links to information that would be of use to a couple looking to buy a holiday home / rental in Finland?

The cabin has no water or electricity so we're looking at solar and reverse osmosis systems, it currently has a kitchen and open plan area with a side bedroom with a double bed. Our hope is to develop the cabin, creating a double bed and space for two singles so a family can stay and then create a small "pod" for another family to sleep in along with some cosmetic work to be done on the wood sauna.

Are you looking for a basic holiday cabin for yourself for spending a few weeks per year, or do you want to invest your money into starting a business that handles all the aspects from wastewater to Finnish taxation?

So far sourcing such services to help has been hard to find and I'm thinking it may be a case of connecting with people when we go over to see the property.

I fail to see how this approach makes sense.
You are living abroad, would have to organize many things remotely, and don't know all the "everyone knows" rules and pitfalls specific to Finland.
I couldn't tell immediately whether what you want to do is legally possible at the cottage in question, and what regulations apply.
The agent should be able to give you contacts of businesses that organize everything, but this won't be cheap.

Usually people either buy (or rent) a cottage that doesn't need additional work for their usage, or they make building/renovating the cottage their summer hobby for the following years and do everything themselves.