moving to finland

[ianhopp]

see previous threads from ian hopp.....ok i am armed with my adaptor plugs...and sky card, swapped car for truck i have as much english belongings as it will take....plus a clutch cable...we have sold our house ..... i have lovely finnish wife who has just finished an english course on holistic therapies/ also qualified as a chef in vaasa 2years ago......i am a 43 year old gardener she is 39 our pet dog has had its final rabies injection....i have in laws who live in mid finland....siter in laws in helsinki, porvo, seinajokii..the question is ......WHERE WOULD YOU BUY A HOUSE.....ps has to be near the sea or lake keen fisherman

[Karhunkoski]

Are your inlaws in/around Jyväskylä?

[Rosamunda]

ps has to be near the sea or lake keen fisherman

ie: anywhere in Finland

Depends really on what you plan to do to make money. I would say finding a job and or a market (if you intend to be self-employed) is more important than where to buy a house.

Personally I would want to be close to the capital region simply because I like the city and having a choice of cinemas, restaurants, galleries and museums, schools and courses, clubs etc. The transport links are good from Helsinki (easy to fly home or take a vacation, easy to get to Tallinn, Stockholm wherever). I was in Lahti yesterday, and thought it must be MUCH harder for a foreigner to adapt to provincial Finnish life (but probably better for learning the lingo) and Lahti is only one hour from HEL!

Property markets are buoyant in the south, pretty much right across the country. If interest rates go up again then prices should stabilise and there might even be some bargains around if people are in a hurry to sell. I would advise against buying a brand new property or building one from scratch as it takes years to make a profit. If you are a bit of a DIY expert then go for a 60s or 70s property (get a full survey on it) and do it up yourself. Best value for money. Also, the further you go from HEL the more land you get for your money.

[Hank W.]

If you want your sky box to work, within the satellite footprint

And realistically, buy the house where you find the work. And find the work first. Theres loads of cheap houses in villages - because people moved elsewhere to work. So its not like in the UK where theres a "help wanted" ad in every window.

[cybertiger]

I suspect you'll find house prices in Finland even in the more expensive areas relatively cheap, at least compared to the UK.

Regards near water, as someone else said, getting away from water in finland is not particularly easy

So your main grounds for finding a house should be work (to be honest they should be anyway, unless you have enough money to happily retire).

For just about any work, you'll be looking in the more populated parts of southern/central finland, especially near to Helsinki.

Regards fishing, you might find it a little difficult for nearly half of the year when the sea/lakes are frozen over, presumably the further south the better for your hobby

Edit: gf informed me you can fish fine in winter, just need special rods / equipment for digging a hole

[neil]

Yeah, its called ice fishing. You'll need a stool, wee rod and a bottle of kossu (for medicinal purposes, of course).

And for your Sky card to work, you'll need similar kit to what they have at Goonhilly:

[Miisa]

Yeah, its called ice fishing. You'll need a stool, wee rod and a bottle of kossu (for medicinal purposes, of course).

And a drill. It helps break the ice.

[cybertiger]

Yeah, its called ice fishing. You'll need a stool, wee rod and a bottle of kossu (for medicinal purposes, of course).

And a drill. It helps break the ice.

So does a bottle of kossu..... Oh and about the ice fishing thing, I should have known that.

[Miisa]

You fish with someone? Weirdo.

[cybertiger]

Imagines of putting the SO on the end of a fishing rod, and shoving her through a hole in the ice, come to mind.

When I said a bottle of kossu can be used to break the ice, I didn't have fishing in mind

[Miisa]

Drills are also multi-purpose in that regard.

"Say, stranger, where are you going with that five-foot drill?"

But to break the ice symbolically requires another person present. Tsk, tsk, how very un-Finnish of you.

[Hank W.]

You don't babble on the ice, you scare the fish.

[Karhunkoski]

You don't babble on the ice, you scare the fish.

Who cares about the Fish? I was always taught that Pilkkimään is Finnish for "driking Kossu whilst sitting on a frozen lake"

[SaxonManFinland]

Well "HERE" is PERFECT for you. Fully modernised house, 180 sq mts. Very smart and modern inside. On 2500 sq mts land. Can fish outside of the front door 365 DOTY. salmon down to perch.......amazing beauty. Lanscaped gardens, orchard and generally pretty nice. City centre 7 mins walk, but house in a animal7bird conservation area. 300 mts from Imatran rapids so free music and shows 6 months a year.

Selling in June cheap at 150K €, but as much chance of work for your wife and you as me catching a 30 ib salmon nexk week.........still wonderful location, great rail system and good roads, and lake Saimi should fill all your fishing needs and the Vouksi outside anything else including crayfish.

[ianhopp]

thanks for the offer but sounds a bit noisy for Finland.... what with the birds and running water will always be going to the loo...