Homeowners today? Once we arrived in the big city, we went in search of the real estate agent’s office. Luckily, we had our GPS with us, so we were able to find the office easily. We parked right in front of the agent’s office and were able to go straight inside. This was where it would finally begin—the purchase of the house.

Homeowners, that’s what we will become today.

Emma, our real estate agent, was a very kind, caring, and thoughtful woman, helping us all the way.
Thanks to her, we as foreigners were able to become homeowners in Sweden. She guided us through everything via email—answering questions, gathering information, arranging insurance, internet, and much more.
At that time, we did not yet have a personal identification number, which unfortunately meant we could arrange very little ourselves. Many real estate agents in Sweden are not willing to do so much for foreign clients, so we are incredibly grateful to Emma.

Once we arrived at Emma’s office, she treated us to a lovely cup of coffee.
Her office is truly beautiful—neat and spotless.
Signing for our house was a very special experience for us.

First, we carefully went through all the paperwork together with Emma. There was quite a lot of it, and it was very important. At that time, we didn’t yet fully understand how everything worked in another country and culture.
Then it was time to transfer the purchase amount together with Emma, something we had prepared well in advance. In the Netherlands, we use the euro, while in Sweden, they use the Swedish krona, which requires extra attention from the banks to convert euros into Swedish kronor. Fortunately, this turned out to be a very smooth and positive experience and went better than expected.

Then came a very special moment.
The signing of the documents makes it official.
The other party had not yet signed; their signatures would come later that afternoon. That meant we were the first to sign.

I was thankfully able to share this beautiful experience with my father.
My father lives in the Netherlands, just like my mother. My mother was with us to experience this moment together, but unfortunately, my father did not travel to Sweden at that time. During the months of preparation, my father supported us greatly, and we really wanted him to be present for this moment.
We are grateful that, in these modern times, we have phones with FaceTime, allowing my father to watch live as we signed for the house. And he was there—so in that way, we were complete.
I am thankful that we were able to share this moment with both my mother and father.

Signing for the house marked a new beginning—a fresh start, a new adventure.
A beautiful memory that will remain in our hearts forever.

What did we do after signing?
Keep reading to find out.