ABSTRACT
In terms of population, Sweden is a relatively small country with slightly less than nine million inhabitants. The total property stock consists of three million tax-assessed units, of which 2.4 million are single-family units. The commercial property stock, including industrial buildings, comprises 170 000 tax-assessed units. In terms of area, this corresponds to 300 million m2, with a market value of SEK1200 billion, distributed among multi-family dwellings, shops, offices and industrial property. The annual turnover in the commercial property market amounts to SEK50 billion. This takes the form of direct property purchases or the acquisition of shares in property companies. However, by the end of 1994, Swedish banks had taken over property valued at almost SEK100 billion in an effort to secure their claims following the property and financial crisis at the end of the 1980s. Currently the banks are in the process of gradually disposing of these property holdings.
