History, Politics And Current Affairs

Now and again fairly grand country estates in good condition pops up on the market here in Sweden. While they cost a bit at the same time they seem somewhat inexpensive considering what you get. I came across Börstorps Slott now for sale, and it kind of makes me dream at least. Situated on the shores of Lake Vänern, Börstorps Slott is a country estate that originally dates back at least to the 15th century. The current main building is from 1646 (though altered to a neo-gothic appearance in the 1850’s, the two wings are from 1790, and then there’s a bunch of farm buildings such as two large stables, and various side cottages and such included. You bid on houses here auction style but the starting price is 28 million kronor, or about 2.88 million dollars at the current exchange rate. I do wish I could afford something like this.

Link to a bunch of photos: https://www.lansfast.se/till-salu/gard/ ... #imageView
A few sample photos:

It’s not the purchase price as much as the upkeep that’s going to get you.

Johnnie Lyle wrote: ↑Mon Jun 29, 2026 5:10 pm It’s not the purchase price as much as the upkeep that’s going to get you.

True, however that estate has been outfitted to serve as a hotel with a bunch of hotel rooms in the main building and in the wings (18 in total) and such so if one is so inclined I think you may be able to operate it at a profit even allowing for the upkeep costs. Probably an attractive location to host weddings.

Whats the HOA like?

Nathan45 wrote: ↑Mon Jun 29, 2026 6:33 pm Whats the HOA like?

Homeowner association? We don’t really have them in the same way as in the US. At least not for standalone houses/properties like this one.

Bit of a lame joke on my part. My HOA fees have gone from 60 dollars to 425 a month in 15 years. No HOA sounds great...

Nathan45 wrote: ↑Mon Jun 29, 2026 6:57 pm Bit of a lame joke on my part. My HOA fees have gone from 60 dollars to 425 a month in 15 years. No HOA sounds great...

Yeah if you own an apartment (condo) here you unfortunately get stuck with a similar association but houses and the like are free of such nonsense.

I looked at some figures given by the realtor and the property tax is 57,662 kronor, operating costs given as 221,400 kronor (includes things like heating, electricity, water&sanitation, insurance etc.), annually. So that’s a total of 279,062 or 28,741 dollars, so not too terrible in relation to the property value.

Micael wrote: ↑Mon Jun 29, 2026 5:44 pm

Johnnie Lyle wrote: ↑Mon Jun 29, 2026 5:10 pm It’s not the purchase price as much as the upkeep that’s going to get you.

True, however that estate has been outfitted to serve as a hotel with a bunch of hotel rooms in the main building and in the wings (18 in total) and such so if one is so inclined I think you may be able to operate it at a profit even allowing for the upkeep costs. Probably an attractive location to host weddings.

So, basically, you need peasants to exploit to support it

Micael wrote: ↑Mon Jun 29, 2026 7:21 pm

Nathan45 wrote: ↑Mon Jun 29, 2026 6:57 pm Bit of a lame joke on my part. My HOA fees have gone from 60 dollars to 425 a month in 15 years. No HOA sounds great...

Yeah if you own an apartment (condo) here you unfortunately get stuck with a similar association but houses and the like are free of such nonsense.

A lot depends upon what your HOA fees support. For my condo, the HOA is responsible for all building exteriors, all groundskeeping, the water bill, all roadway and outbuildings. Saves me a ton of money when dealing with both structural issues (like a roof leak) or maintenance. Definitely value for the money - especially since my assessment went down this year.

With freestanding (what we call “single-family”) houses, HOA utility really comes down to what amenities the HOA provides. If I get recreational facilities (such as a pool or a clubhouse) or things like road and commons maintenance out of it, good. If it’s just a way to police the neighborhood and keep people from making things “ugly,” I get that out of my tax dollars, since you need a permit to breathe here in CA.

Johnnie Lyle wrote: ↑Mon Jun 29, 2026 7:45 pm

Micael wrote: ↑Mon Jun 29, 2026 7:21 pm

Nathan45 wrote: ↑Mon Jun 29, 2026 6:57 pm Bit of a lame joke on my part. My HOA fees have gone from 60 dollars to 425 a month in 15 years. No HOA sounds great...

Yeah if you own an apartment (condo) here you unfortunately get stuck with a similar association but houses and the like are free of such nonsense.

A lot depends upon what your HOA fees support. For my condo, the HOA is responsible for all building exteriors, all groundskeeping, the water bill, all roadway and outbuildings. Saves me a ton of money when dealing with both structural issues (like a roof leak) or maintenance. Definitely value for the money - especially since my assessment went down this year.

With freestanding (what we call “single-family”) houses, HOA utility really comes down to what amenities the HOA provides. If I get recreational facilities (such as a pool or a clubhouse) or things like road and commons maintenance out of it, good. If it’s just a way to police the neighborhood and keep people from making things “ugly,” I get that out of my tax dollars, since you need a permit to breathe here in CA.

Yeah we have a somewhat weird way of handling ”condos” (apart from a smaller number of exceptions that’s popped up in recent years). You ”buy” an apartment, but what you actually buy is a share in an association that owns the building, and usage rights to a specific apartment within it. So you buy it, but only sort of. This means that you are by nature pretty deeply involved in the association, and a bit at the mercy at what the majority of the shareholders gets in their heads. You get to have fun going to association meetings, possibly get nominated and voted into some position of responsibility that you don’t necessarily want to be in and so on. The association charges fees and then pay for upkeep, repairs to the building and such.