How to find things

Arrived in Finland on 12th of December. I am living on the island of lautasarri, but will only be there until the end of the month so it is essential that I find a place to stay. We are looking to buy a house. Last weekend I visited 7 different houses stretching from the West to the East. In Finland the estate agent advertise in the Helsingin Sanomat at the weekend and tell you when there is a viewing. I used Oikotie to find out where the houses were located and then a local route planner to get directions to where the houses were located. Very organised you see, but nevertheless it took us all afternoon to visit the places. The flat that I liked my wife did not like. Some were too small, some were too expensive, some were too far away from where I work, some were shaby, others were in areas that your grandmother would not walk in at night time. The day ended with us exhausted and not having found anything we liked.

On the Monday after the weekends viewing, my wife Maija looked again at the newpaper and instead of going for the estate agents she found a flat that was being sold by an individual. She phoned her up and made an appointment to see the flat on the Teusday. The flat was on the third floor of a block of flats. It was quite big at 87 sq M. It had been built in 1962, and was at the end of the building, so basically it had windows on three sides. The floors were made out of oak and had recently been sanded and varnished, so the living room and the dining room looked good. The kitchen was done in a "french style" which Maija liked, but I was not too sure about the practicallity of tiles for the work surface. The kitchen also had underfloor heating but it did not seem to be working. The walls had that "artex" look to them and I know that "artex" has a small amount of asbestos in it so I was a bit suspicious, however the woman whowas selling the place said it was "ventonite". The things to watch out for in old houses are mould or damp, leaking taps or radiators.

In the bathroom there was an enormous hole in the wall. The lady said it was a space for a washing machine. When you went into the bedroom and looked in the cupboard then you could see the space that this "hole" has taking up. Maija liked the idea of the washing machine being up off the floor since it would be easier to load and also give more room in the bathroom.

In the living room there was a fireplace, which is a very unusal feature to find in a block of flats. Maija asked had the chimney been swept but the lady did not know. The windows had recently been replaced and it was all in all in good condition with venetian blinds all around and a small balcony where you could sip your vodka at the end of the day