Stockholm first purchase: how much of SEK 197,600 should remain untouched?

[arlo.ash]

SEK 197,600 sounds like a useful cushion, but I am concerned it could disappear quickly once the purchase completes. The property is a 5-bed condo in Stockholm priced at about SEK 2,236,000, and that is the amount I expect to retain after paying the deposit and purchase costs.

The inspection still needs to show which jobs are genuinely urgent. There will also be moving expenses, the first service-charge and mortgage payments, and enough cash to cover the insurance excess if something happens. Furniture can be delayed, although some basic items will be needed.

Would you protect one large reserve and pay those costs from the remainder, or assign provisional limits now? I am comfortable leaving rooms unfinished if that makes the first year less financially tight.

 

[lila_homes]

I wouldn’t divide all SEK 197,600 into spending categories before the inspection. First ring-fence an emergency fund based on several months of your actual essential outgoings, including the mortgage and service charge. Then reserve separately for moving, the insurance excess and only the inspection items that cannot wait.

Furniture would come last; empty rooms are inconvenient, not urgent. Also confirm when the first mortgage payment and service charge fall due, because timing can matter as much as the total. What does the condo association information say about planned work or possible charge changes?