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Brits buying holiday real estate in Yllas

by Helena Lessing, Kolari

Clean and safe, beautiful and profitable

Colin Brunt’s construction company of 40 persons refurbishes houses, shops and schools in London with an annual turnover of 40 million euros.

Four years ago he went for a Christmas holiday to Lapland, and happened to walk by kelo log house that was being built. Out of curiosity, driven from his profession, he took another look at it and learned that a foreigner can also buy a kelo cabin in Lapland.

The Brunt family checked out holiday homes from elsewhere in Northern Finland as well, but went back to their starting point and bought a Samira Oy built log house in Akaslompolo. Brunt was certain that other Brits would be interested in a similar investment, and set up Abovethearctic, an agency specialising in holiday real estate in Lapland.

Brunt has spoken highly of Lapland to fellow Brits, "Lapland has fresh air, it is safe, there is guaranteed snow and Lapland was voted as the world’s best winter resort on BBC. Finland is also the world’s most competitive and least corrupt country, and you can buy a second home from there with a reasonable price that pays itself back in a couple of years."

The marketing has worked well. Lapland’s log cabins have been in the biggest newspapers in Britain, and after every article Brunt’s office has received tens of enquiries, also some serious ones. In the first year they sold one cabin but in the second year already 10 cabins were sold. On their third operating year the company sold about forty holiday homes, altogether 20 families have their holiday cabins completed in Akaslompolo.

"We are not aiming to make money as such, this is more of a fun business" Brunt describes.  " Brits like to buy second homes from abroad, either for holidaying or purely as an investment" Brunt says. "There are holiday homes in Spain and France, but they are beginning to be more and more expensive."

"Eastern Europe, Romania and Bulgaria by the Black Sea have been getting more interest recently, along with some other Baltic countries. Bulgaria is cheap, but it is becoming a mass tourist resort," Colin Brunt explains. "Finland’s price level is suitable: £89,000 for a luxury log cabin, £59,000 for an apartment" he offers.  "It is a lot less than in the Alps."

British owners come to their fell cabins perhaps only for a couple of weeks a year: in Christmas and early spring. The cabin is rented out for other travellers the rest of the time, of which Destination Lapland is responsible for.

"Capital will grow nearly 60 per cent in 6 years" Brunt claims.  "The investment is a safety net for retirement days or inheritance for children," he explains,  "Brits are avoiding part-ownerships because of bad experiences in Spain."

Colin is the first, and only, one who is selling holiday investments straight to foreigners.  "Finland is only just opening its doors," Colin thinks, "Even though a foreigner, say a Brit, gets interested in a holiday property, the only information they can find is in Finnish."

And they say everyone wants to escape from the UK, the United Kingdom!

It’s warm in Lapland

Although Colin knows a British family who is moving to Finland permanently, he doesn’t think there is going to be a huge Lapland emigration.  "Even after years I think there is only going to be a handful of English people here" he assumes, and isn’t even hoping for big amounts to come. That is the only danger of holiday real estate.

The ways Finns and Brits spend their holidays can easily be combined though, as well as when they are spent, he points out. Brits want to go to Lapland for Christmas as well as in January-February to ski. Finns use the cabins in March-April when they come for their holidays. In the summer English schools only have a six-week holiday in August, which is when there are no Finnish holiday goers in Lapland.

Brunt is positive that lots and lots of British families would love to come hiking in Lapland’s forests, fells and lakes. They just need to be told that it is warm in the summer time, the sun shines throughout the night and that you can swim in the lakes.  He wouldn't’t mention mosquitoes and even criticises Finns – also the people in London who market Finland – about unnecessary mosquito warnings.  "There are not so many of them that you couldn’t live with them! They are more of a nuisance in the Mediterranean" he emphasizes.

Brunt is keeping his eye on holiday property for sale also in other parts of Lapland, aside from Yllas as well as in Overkalix in Sweden. There is only one ski lift but the nature is really beautiful there. He also predicts that fishermen would love to come to Lapland’s rivers and lakes. "This would be very good for the summer tourism" he adds.

The Brunt family come to Yllas every Christmas and summer. This year, however, they arrive already in February for a 6 month period.

The oldest of the four children, 10 and 9 year old boys are going to start school in Akaslompolo. The 5 and 3 year olds stay at home, even though the daughter has already started school in England.  "A five-year-old is too young to be stressed out about exams" the father says, and adds that he is very pleased with the Finnish school system.  "It is great that the boys get to learn a new language at school, and the small children still get to be children."

Roughly translated from Lapin Kansa January 6, 2007