Men want their own summerhouse.

A little red house by the water, where you can fly the Swedish colors, the sentimental dream of all Swedes? 

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  Who doesn’t want a little red summerhouse to retreat to? According to a fresh study, more Swedish men than women are interested, and many fear the work that goes into owning a house.

• Well, not really. Women are more reluctant than men to buy a summerhouse. While every third man dreams of a cottage of his own, only one in every four women shares his dream. All according to a new study by Fastighetsbyrån (The Property office, real estate brokers. A wholly owned subsidiary of Swedbank that is involved in at least one fifth of every real estate transaction in Sweden).

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  From the Swedish royal family and their summer mansion on the island of Öland to the apartment-dwelling Swede who spends summer evenings out of town - the act of getting away from conventional residential surroundings is a passion built into the Swedish national psyche. More so, the male psyche it seems...

• The real reason we buy a summerhouse is that we want peace and relaxation. It is also our wish to get closer to nature. Only 2 percent of all people asked said they want a house because they want a place “to fix and renovate.” But to dream of unwinding and long walks is one thing. The reality of it, as the saying goes, bites. No less than 27 percent believes that owning a summerhouse means working with hammer, saw and paintbrush during vacation. Says Johan Vesterberg, press officer at Fastighetsbyrån:

• “One mustn’t forget that owning a house means a lot of work. For some this can be fun and relaxing, but for others it might be stressful and irritating. It’s important not to take on too much.” Vesterberg adds that having a summerhouse usually means you have to spend both time and money on it, as it will need work.

• For more info on Fastighetsbyrån, see Fastighetsbyran.se