Don't bank on it

Picked up Maija and went down town to meet at the Nordea bank to do the deal on the house. We were the first to arrive. Originally the meeting was supposed to be at 10:00 but it was posponed until 11:00. The buyers and the sellers were all together but the official from the bank didn't turn up. It was 11:30 before were were ushered into a VIP room. The was me and Maija and our estate agent the sellers, man and wife and their estate agent. A representative from their bank and a representative from our bank.

There was a flurry of papers flashed back and forth multiple signatures signed on various bits of paper. We have not read anything. We could be signing our lives away. There could be hidden clauses that would force me to be hung drawn and quartered, but we signed everything regardless. Trusting in other people. The sellers were just as willing to sign without reading.

Amounts were calculated and a cheque was written out for the bank manager in the red corner. They parted with one bit of paper, and was handed another bit of paper as proof that we now owned the flat. In the year 1982 the flat had cost 29,000 FIM or equivilent to 5,000€ Now it was selling for 133000€ which makes it 26.6 times more expensive.

With the title deeds in our hands we wondered what to do with it. It seems to be an important piece of paper. We would surely loose it if we kept it ourselves, so we were shown down into the vaults at Nordea to where they keep safe deposit boxes. We rented one for a year at the cost of 27€ and were shown into a large vault with thousands of boxes. We were shown a black box with two keyholes. We used our key to open one lock and the cashier used her key to open another lock. Inside was a small gray tray. We took it out and place the deeds of the flat in it. We then put it back in and locked the safe and left. Do you ever get the feeling that when you have locked the front door, it is not really locked and you have to go back and check. Well for once I just walked way and did't look back. It could be lying open for all I know with the title deed up for grabs.

I heard today tha thouse price inflation in Finland was running at 7% a year where as in England it was around about 25% for the past 3 years. If the inflation stays the same that the flat should be worth 142310€ next year. That would be a profit of 9310€ There are two prices for houses in Finland. The selling price MH and the debtfree price VH. The MH price is always lower than the VH price. As it exists now we only pay a very low monthly rent for utilities of arounf 204€ per month so over a 12 month period comes to 2448€. So the net profit for just living in the house would be 6862€ if house price inflation stays the same.

Now if my mother died at 35 and her brother died at 38 and I have a blood pressure problem and I am 168/107 and if there is going to be a economic crash and the price of bacon sides is on the up and up and if you fried your brain to a crisp doing calculations that don't mean a thing, then you can consider yourself lucky to be alive and breathing without any major difficulties. Money is boring if you have it, but when you don't have it, then it's acquisition consumes all your waking hours

Maija also handed over 150€ for the wardrobe in the corner of their bedroom. We should move in there on the 9th of Feb. They have promised to have moved their stuff out on Saturday the 7th. Will the floors be clean, will the taps leak and the toilets refuse to flush, will the shower be blocked with lime scale, will the neighbours play loud music. Will the rooms be cold, will there be draughts, or lice, or silverfish, or cockroaches, or damp, or mould. There are a whole new can of worms awaiting to be opened. Why am I so pessemistic?

No the neighbours will be waiting with garlands of roses to welcome us to the neighbourhood and they will have hired a brass band to play triumphant songs to inspire us. There will be feast of roast venison and salted salmon and tankards of frothing beer. We will dance and sing and hung one another for joy, and everyone will retire to bed with a happy smile on their face. I wish

We will creep in there unheralded is more like the truth. No we must have some sort of Celebration and it will involve smoked fish and sour cream, and little sprigs of parsley.