Finnish buyers are among the most prepared and decisive international buyers in the Spanish property market. Malin Turlock and Peter Franke of Franke & de la Fuente sit down with Finnish property specialists Anne Ramsay and Anne Alice Saarikangas to uncover what really drives them — from due diligence expectations to sauna standards.
The Finnish buyer market along Spain’s southern coast is growing steadily. An estimated 250,000 Finnish visitors arrive on the Costa del Sol each year, and over 15,000 readers follow Finnish-language Costa del Sol publications. The appetite for Spanish property among Finns is both broad and deeply rooted.
In the latest episode of The Country Files, Malin Turlock and Peter Franke sat down with Anne Ramsay and Anne Alice Saarikangas — two Finnish property specialists with experience in both Finland and Spain — to understand what really drives the Finnish buyer. Here is what we learned.
They Arrive More Prepared Than Almost Any Other Buyer Nationality
Finnish buyers come to viewings informed. They have researched the market, studied the legal framework, and often run detailed financial projections before making first contact.
“Finnish people do prepare for everything.”
— Anne Alice Saarikangas
Part of this is cultural. “Having a house in Spain” is, for many Finns, “the typical Finnish dream” — and Finnish media covers the Spanish property market regularly, with a particular appetite for cautionary stories: squatters, bankrupt developers, urbanistic irregularities. By the time a Finnish buyer makes contact, they have absorbed years of that coverage. They arrive with questions — sometimes a long list of them before any viewing has been arranged.
For agents and lawyers, this is an advantage rather than an obstacle. The buyer who has done their research is the buyer who, when properly guided, transacts with confidence.
The Finnish Buying Process Is Radically Different From Spain’s
To understand what Finnish buyers expect, it helps to understand where they come from. In Finland, agents are legally required to compile comprehensive due diligence before any property is listed — title documents, five-year renovation plans, maintenance histories, legal square footage.
“The lawyer’s responsibility here is on the agent in Finland.”
— Anne Alice Saarikangas
When a Finnish buyer finds a property they like, the process moves fast. Negotiations typically conclude within hours and deals are done within two weeks in a healthy market. There is no reservation contract — instead, the buyer signs a legally binding offer immediately, with a 4% penalty payable directly to the seller if they withdraw. By the time they sign, they have already reviewed all the documents.
Spain is different. The reservation contract, the arras, the role of the conveyancing lawyer — none of it is familiar. Peter notes the importance of being clear with Finnish clients from the start:
“People shall be a little bit aware that if you’re working with another agent, that even though they say it’s a reservation contract, when you read the actual content, the information of that contract, it’s something else.”
— Peter Franke, Franke & de la Fuente
At Franke & de la Fuente, we make sure ours says exactly what it should. As Anne Ramsay notes:
“I never say to clients, congratulations on this point — because we’re not there yet.”
— Anne Ramsay
- The Spanish Market Can Shock — But It Rarely Stops Them
Spain’s urbanistic irregularities, missing licencias de primera ocupación, and less formalised documentation culture can genuinely unsettle buyers accustomed to Finland’s highly regulated system. Anne Saarikangas is direct about this:
“It is difficult and it is shocking. But after the first shock, there’s so much good in the market that you can actually handle the difficult parts — these grey areas.”
— Anne Alice Saarikangas
The key, as Peter explains, is transparency from the very start. Buyers who are “properly informed from the very beginning” on how the market actually works generally feel far more relaxed about proceeding.
Both Anne Ramsay and Anne Alice are disciplined about which properties and communities they show Finnish clients:
“We don’t take our clients there.”
— Anne Alice Saarikangas, on communities with unresolved legal or financial issues
Knowing what you are selling, and being honest about its limitations, is what builds the trust Finnish buyers require before they will commit.
Silence Is Not Indifference — Understand the Cultural Dynamic
The most practically important thing for agents and sellers to understand about Finnish buyers is that reserve does not signal disinterest. Finns observe, evaluate, and decide quietly. Anne Alice’s advice to any agent meeting a Finnish buyer for the first time:
“Don’t talk if you don’t have the facts. No, we don’t like the small talk. That’s rule number one. The small talk, the hugs, the love and the friendship will come once you earn the trust. And the trust needs to come with facts.”
— Anne Alice Saarikangas
Anne Ramsay reinforces this from her experience of taking Finnish clients to other agents’ listings:
“You can never be too pushy with the Finnish people. Give some space to the client, listen to what they have to say, and just be respectful and be calm.”
— Anne Ramsay
Her practical summary for any agent working with a Finnish buyer:
“Be humble, give space, and don’t talk about money.”
— Anne Ramsay
The same principle applies to tone throughout the process. Finnish buyers are consistently described as modest, regardless of wealth:
“We are very humble people — even the richest of the Finnish people, you would never even guess who they are.”
— Anne Ramsay
Status-focused presentations and aggressive selling are counterproductive. As Anne Ramsay puts it plainly:
“We hate arrogance — and there’s quite a lot of it here in Marbella.”
— Anne Ramsay
Thorough Research, Then a Very Fast Decision
Despite the methodical approach, Finnish buyers can move with remarkable speed once the right property appears. Anne Ramsay describes clients arriving at viewings with their own notebooks, comparing everything carefully — and then, when the moment comes:
“When they find the right one, the Excel goes out of the window immediately.”
— Anne Ramsay
This reflects the nature of the investment. Finnish buyers in Spain are not typically buying to let or to flip. They are buying for themselves — for family, for summers, for a life they have been planning for years. The emotional commitment, when it comes, is genuine and fast.
One important note on the current market dynamic: Finland’s property market has been difficult for several years, and some Finnish buyers arriving in Spain assume the same conditions apply here.
“They think they have time — but the market is extremely good here.”
— Anne Ramsay
Part of the agent’s role is helping Finnish clients recalibrate that expectation quickly.
Never Underestimate the Budget
One of the most consistent — and most surprising — traits of the Finnish buyer is that they routinely understate their financial position. Finnish buyers will never claim a budget they do not have. If anything, they present a lower number than reality.
“The budget is actually a lot bigger — it might double or triple during the process. That’s the humble Finns.”
— Anne Ramsay & Anne Alice Saarikangas
The implication is not to push Finnish buyers beyond their stated comfort. It is simply to understand that the stated number is a floor, not a ceiling — and that patience and trust-building are what allow the full picture to emerge.
Peter also highlights a practical point for Finnish buyers considering a mortgage in Spain: the loan here is calculated on the purchase price, not on the total costs including taxes and legal fees. For buyers used to Finland’s transfer tax of 1.5–3%, Spain’s rate of 7–10% can require a meaningful budget adjustment. Clarifying early whether a stated budget includes or excludes those additional costs avoids surprises later.
The Sauna Is Non-Negotiable — and Standards Are Specific
No guide to Finnish buyers would be complete without the sauna. It is not a luxury extra — it is a cultural essential. A property with a sauna is significantly more desirable. But there is a critical caveat:
“It needs to be the Finnish sauna. Do not build a sauna if it is not a Finnish sauna.”
— Anne Alice Saarikangas
The standards Finnish buyers apply are precise. A poorly executed sauna will be renovated immediately after purchase — or will simply become a reason to look elsewhere. When a property has space for a sauna but not one installed, both Anne agents treat it as a selling point: here is where yours can go. Finnish buyers understand that immediately.
Where Are Finnish Buyers Buying?
Fuengirola and Benalmádena remain strong markets — Los Pacos, known affectionately among Finnish agents as “Moominvalley”, remains as Finnish a neighbourhood as you will find on the Costa del Sol. But the market is broadening significantly. Anne Saarikangas points to Nueva Andalucía, Benahavís, and Marbella itself as areas of fast-growing Finnish interest. Anne Ramsay adds Higuerón — “the Marbella of Fuengirola” — as a notable newer destination, offering new-build quality, services, and views at a different price point.
The common thread: Finnish buyers are moving towards quality, regardless of postcode. The old concentration in specific Finnish enclaves is giving way to a broader search across the coast — and, increasingly, to Mallorca.
The Bottom Line for Agents, Sellers, and Developers
Finnish buyers are among the most knowledgeable, methodical, and ultimately decisive international buyers in Spain. They do not respond to pressure. They respond to competence, honesty, and respect — and when they receive those things consistently, they are deeply loyal.
At Franke & de la Fuente, we work with international buyers from across Europe and beyond. What the Finnish market reflects back to us, episode after episode of The Country Files, is the same principle that underpins everything we do: the best advice is factual, transparent, and without pressure. That is the foundation every good transaction is built on.
This article is based on Season 2, Episode 3 of The Country Files — the Franke & de la Fuente podcast on international buyer markets in Spain. The full episode with Anne Ramsay and Anne Alice Saarikangas is available to listen to now.
