Scandi sanctuary: Inside the mysterious Swedish beach house that's worth millions

If this 10-bedroom home in southern Sweden were to feature in a Nordic noir series, its owner would be an enigmatic tycoon with impeccable taste and a guilty secret.

Looming enigmatically on the horizon, it would do nicely as a Bond villain lair too. 

Instead, the property in Skane on the Kulla peninsula is listed for sale through Sweden Sotheby’s International Realty with a price guide of 32 million SEK, or about $4.9 million.

While there’s overwhelming evidence the current owner of Villa Schrewelius has impeccable taste – from the full-height windows showcasing the point-blank water view to the understated interiors with timber and stone accents – the listing shows no sign whatsoever of any secrets, guilty or otherwise.

Joakim Vestergren, the agent handling the sale, says there’s a wide range of architectural styles along the coastline from Helsingborg in the south to Halmstad in the north.

“Some houses are old classic Swedish houses with either brick or wooden facade,” Vestergren says. “Some are super modern with big glazed parts and metal frameworks, like this one.”

It’s also common for houses to have modern exteriors and “classic old-style” interiors. Or vice versa – with slick new appliances, of course.

The Skane residence offers about 400 square metres of floor space, a three-car garage, separate guest quarters and a sauna overlooking the pool and sea, with the Danish coast visible in the distance.

Current market

“Cracks in the red-hot Swedish housing market are yawning wider,” declared The Financial Times in January.

A robust economy and ultra-low interest rates put a rocket up Swedish property prices, which now outstrip average earnings by a factor of 10 – double the multiple of 20 years ago. House prices have risen by about 50 per cent since 2012.

There are signs the tide is turning; residential prices fell 9 per cent between August and December. Goldman Sachs predicts further slides, thanks to more restrictive regulations and interest rate hikes.

Can Australians buy in?

Provided you have the cash upfront, the answer is yes. “Foreigners can buy properties in Sweden quite easily,” Vestergren says.

The difficulty comes if a Swedish bank loan is required.

Banks require a Swedish social security number, which can’t be granted without a permanent local address.

The stamp duty rate is 1.5 per cent of the sale price.

An annual fee of 7812 SEK, or $1180, is also payable.

What you can buy for… 

Skarviksvägen is a property on the coast of Skane with a golf course and horse farm.
Photo: Sweden Sothebys International Realty

$8.42 million

A waterfront property in Skane with six-bedroom home, guest villa, horse farm, golf course and padel courts.

$4.59 million

Skottorp Palace in Halland, described by the agent as Sweden’s best-preserved Empire Period palace.

$1.45 million

A newly built four-bedroom villa on a 1310 square metres of land near the bay of Laholm in Skane.