# FAQ: apartment price estimates in Finland > Where AsuntoAnalyysi's figures come from, how accurate the estimate is, which factors affect an apartment's price in Finland, and how share links and privacy work. [AsuntoAnalyysi](https://www.asuntoanalyysi.fi/en) / Frequently asked questions Answers to the most common questions about where the estimate comes from, how it is calculated and how to use it. The calculation details and all the coefficients are on the [Data sources & method](https://www.asuntoanalyysi.fi/tietolahde-ja-menetelma) page (in Finnish). [Data and reliability](#aineisto) · [How the estimate is calculated](#laskenta) · [Use, sharing and privacy](#kaytto) ## Data and reliability ### Where do the realised sale prices come from? Prices for housing company apartments (blocks of flats, terraced houses and semi-detached houses) come from Statistics Finland's open StatFin database: realised sale prices of old housing company apartments by postcode area and building type, quarter by quarter. The latest quarter is Statistics Finland's own preliminary figure (marked *). Detached houses use the National Land Survey of Finland's register of property prices, because a detached house is sold as property rather than as shares and does not appear in the apartment data at all. Rents, population and income data are also open data from Statistics Finland. The data is fetched automatically from the authorities' interfaces. It is not collected from listings or estate agents. The exact sources and update dates are on the [Data sources & method](https://www.asuntoanalyysi.fi/tietolahde-ja-menetelma#aineisto) page (in Finnish). ### How accurate is the estimate? The estimate states its own uncertainty: every estimate gets a range based on the number of sales in the area over the last 12 months. In an active area the range is about ±7%, and in an area with few sales ±15%. If the price had to be calculated from a wider area (the first digits of the postcode), the range widens further. A price estimate is only given when the gap to the local level is wider than the range; otherwise the gap is noise. For detached houses the range is much wider (±25–50%), because the property price register has no floor area for the building: the comparison is made with a typical sale in the area as a total price, and the size, condition and renovations of the house are not adjusted for at all. ### Can the estimate be used as an official valuation, for example for a bank? No. This is an indicative, calculated estimate. It is not a valuation by an estate agent or an authorised property valuer (AKA), and it does not replace a condition inspection. It is based on the statistical average price of the area and on general adjustment coefficients that describe the typical effect of each factor in realised sales, not ones fitted to this particular housing company or street. Use it to get a sense of direction, and always check the property manager's certificate (isännöitsijäntodistus), condition surveys and, if needed, a professional. ### How often is the price data updated? Each dataset follows its publisher's schedule: apartment sale prices and rents quarterly, population and maintenance charge data once or twice a year, and detached house sale prices yearly, filling in month by month. Updates run automatically in the background. The latest date of each dataset is shown in the table on the [Data sources & method](https://www.asuntoanalyysi.fi/tietolahde-ja-menetelma#aineisto) page (in Finnish). ## How the estimate is calculated ### What are the "adjusted price per m²" and the price estimate (Bargain / Fair / Overpriced)? The adjusted price per m² is the asking price per m² adjusted for the apartment's own factors (condition, renovations, floor, lift, orientation, sauna, energy class, maintenance charge…), which makes it comparable with the local level and with other apartments. The price estimate tells you whether, in light of the adjusted price per m², the asking price is below or above the local level, once the gap is wider than the estimate's own uncertainty. There is a fuller explanation on the [Data sources & method](https://www.asuntoanalyysi.fi/tietolahde-ja-menetelma#korjattu) page (in Finnish). ### Which factors affect the estimate the most? The largest single item is the housing company's pipe renovation (linjasaneeraus): the contract price of an upcoming pipe renovation is €1,000/m², and one that has just been done raises the estimate by €350/m², so in a 60 m² apartment the difference is tens of thousands of euros. The contract price is the maximum effect on the estimate: in areas where the price per m² is below €3,000/m², the effect is scaled to the local price level (about 33% of the apartment's value), because the area's average price already includes its typical backlog of repairs. Next in importance are the condition of the apartment (−12.5%…+9.0%), the housing company's other major renovations, the maintenance charge and a leased plot. Smaller but priced factors are the floor and lift (blocks of flats only), the energy class, a private sauna (+4.5%) and the orientation of the balcony and windows. The coefficients are calibrated to price differences in realised sales, and every one of them is listed on the [Data sources & method](https://www.asuntoanalyysi.fi/tietolahde-ja-menetelma) page (in Finnish). The breakdown on the estimate page always shows, line by line, what your own estimate is made of. ### How do the housing company's renovations affect the estimate? Major renovations (pipes, facade, roof, windows, electrics, heating) have a technical service life: 45 years for a pipe renovation. A completed renovation adds value, which declines steadily over its service life; an upcoming renovation lowers the estimate more the closer it is. The pipe renovation is split into three parts (water pipes, drains and bathroom waterproofing) if the listing gives separate information on them, because they age at different rates. If the status of a renovation is not known, it is assumed neither done nor not done: an expected value is inferred from the year of construction, which is milder than a known upcoming renovation. In a building older than one full renovation cycle, the year of construction no longer says anything about the status, so the line has no effect. The **renovation timeline** on the estimate page shows when each renovation is next due, based on typical service lives. ### Does the estimate work for terraced, semi-detached or detached houses? Terraced houses use Statistics Finland's own terraced house data. It does not break prices down by apartment size, so a home much larger than is typical for the area is probably cheaper per m² than the reference figure, and a smaller one more expensive. That is why the estimate range for terraced and semi-detached houses is 6 percentage points wider than for blocks of flats. The floor and lift are not priced in terraced or semi-detached houses, because the home usually spans both floors and the floor number in the listing does not tell you that. For detached houses the comparison uses the National Land Survey of Finland's property price register as a total property price, not a price per m², so no factor-by-factor breakdown is calculated. The register has no floor area for the building, so the reference figure does not take the size of the house into account at all. That is why **detached houses get no price estimate**: the gap between the asking price and a typical sale in the area is shown as a plain figure. Detached houses on leased plots are not included in the register. Semi-detached houses are compared with share sales of terraced houses. For both detached and semi-detached houses the analysis shows a separate note. ### What does the monthly cost include? The estimate page calculates the monthly cost of ownership: the cost of capital (interest on the debt-free price), the maintenance charge, any plot rent and a reserve for known housing company renovations (spread over ~25 years). The assumed interest rate is 3.5% and can be adjusted with a slider; a stress-test rate (at least 6%) is always shown alongside it, so the size of the interest rate risk is visible. The transfer tax of 1.5% of the debt-free price is shown separately as a one-off purchase cost. The financing charge (rahoitusvastike) is not added separately: the company loan is already included in the debt-free price from which the cost of capital is calculated, so the same cost would be counted twice. Loan repayments are not a cost but go into your own equity, so they are not included either. ### Why did the estimate change when I did not change anything? The estimate is always recalculated when the page is opened, including from a share link. When the area's sale prices are updated or the model's coefficients are recalibrated against realised sales, the same property can get a different estimate than before. That is intentional: the estimate shows how the property looks with current information, not how it looked last month. The property's own details (the fetched listing information) are frozen at the time of calculation and do not change afterwards. ## Use, sharing and privacy ### Do I need a listing link, or can I enter the details myself? A link is the quickest way: the app fetches the details automatically from Oikotie and Etuovi listings. A link is not required, though: the "Fill in the details yourself" link on the front page opens a form where you can enter the details yourself. The estimate always uses the values shown on the form, so you can also correct fetched details before calculating. ### The listing details were fetched incompletely or wrongly. What should I do? Listing sites change their structure from time to time, which can break the extraction, and some details (such as the facade material or orientation) are not always in the listing at all. Check and complete any missing or wrong fields on the form before calculating; the estimate always uses the values shown on the form. If the extraction keeps going wrong, let us know at [info@asuntoanalyysi.fi](mailto:info@asuntoanalyysi.fi). ### Does the service cost anything? No, making and sharing an estimate is free. The site has no adverts and no marketing cookies. ### Do I need an account, and where is my data stored? No. Accounts cannot even be created at the moment. Your analyses and comparison lists are stored in your own browser's local storage, and every completed estimate also gets its own share link, whose snapshot is stored on the server. Visitor statistics are cookieless and store no identifier in your browser. More details are on the [Terms & privacy](https://www.asuntoanalyysi.fi/en/tietosuoja) page. ### Who can see a share link, and what information does it contain? A share link (`/s/…`) shows the estimate's details and results to anyone who has the link. The address is random and the page is not indexed by search engines. Your name or contact details are not attached to the link. The public "Latest estimates" feed on the front page only includes estimates made from a listing link, whose details are already public in the listing; an estimate filled in by hand never appears there. ### Can I delete a share link? Yes. Open "All analyses" from the sidebar and choose **Delete share link** on the row (you confirm the deletion with a second click). After that the address stops working, and opening the estimate does not create a link again until you share it yourself. Snapshots are deleted automatically after about 24 months in any case. Still have a question? Write to [info@asuntoanalyysi.fi](mailto:info@asuntoanalyysi.fi) and I will answer, and add the question here if others might find it useful too. [Estimate a home's value →](https://www.asuntoanalyysi.fi/en)