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Russian property purchases in Finland at near-standstill

Russians have fled the Finnish real estate markets.

The economic crisis in Russia has affected Finland in many ways already, now in the form of new cabin purchases coming to an almost complete halt, according to real estate agents.

Location

Russians are now more apt to sell property in Finland than buy it, they say.

The weak rouble and the long-standing recession in Russia have lead to a downturn in the number of Russians buying properties in Finland. Especially in the leisure home and summer cottage business, the flow of buyers has ebbed entirely.

“There are practically no Russians in the market for houses like these right now,” realtor Ari Punnonen from the Southern Karelia real estate firm OP-Kiinteistönvälitys says.

Statistically, Southern Karelia has the highest number of Russian-owned cottages, with up to five percent of summer cottages belonging to Russian owners in 2012. Chief of the SKV real estate firm Timo Kaisla says the drop in customers can be seen in the poor sales figures of costlier living solutions, especially in the Saimaa area.

The Huoneistokeskus real estate firm in Eastern Finland reports that the amount of Russian-speaking hopefuls asking about houses for sale has fallen.

”There are drastically fewer Russians coming around asking about properties. It’s the weak rouble’s doing,” says Yasmine Sinnemaa from the firm.

The downward trend began some years ago. The National Land Survey of Finland counted the fewest number of Russian leisure home buyers in six years in 2013. Real estaters say that Russians have, instead, turned to selling rather than buying.

“Some of the first sales have already gone through us,” Punnonen says.

This story is posted on BarentsObserver as part of Eye on the Arctic, a collaborative partnership between public and private circumpolar media organizations.