Juha Pälve moved into a new two-room apartment on Vanha Talvitie in the Verkkosaari part of the Kalasatama district of Helsinki at the turn of the year. The biggest pull factor was the atmospheric Kalasatama district; Juha likes to watch its development and numerous pilot projects.
“This is simultaneously an urban yet soulful area, mixing manufacturing, members of the creative class and good services. To my mind, Kalasatama is the most developing and promising district of Helsinki, and it couldn’t get any better. I am very pleased with the services in the area, of which there are many from a shopping centre to restaurants,” Juha praises.
Juha works both at home and at an office on Fredrikinkatu. Initially, he commuted by metro, but he has now changed it to walking or occasionally running. There are great options for walking routes, along the Hermannin rantatie road all the way to the Uspenski Cathedral or Katajanokka, or alternatively across the Hakaniemi bridge. In addition to his full-time job, Juha makes music, and he has been visiting a studio in Kalasatama for six years.
Home-like in a developing area
In addition work and music, Juha also wants to relax at home. The big glazed balcony sees use as the spring approaches, and the best place to play the guitar is looking out of the spacious windows. There are infinite recreational opportunities in the area, and Juha is planning to start CrossFit classes at a gym located 700 metres from home. Having moved from the Jätkäsaari district, Juha is looking forward to his first summer as a Kalasatama resident, because it will be easy to walk to the beach in Mustikkamaa, and the Teurastamo area will come to life with its terraces in the summer.
“This is my first home after leaving Oulu that feels like a home. This area and its vibe suit me. I feel that this is my place where I can grow and be comfortable for a long time. It makes this place feel like home. Sometimes intuition is smarter than you can rationally justify, and I had that intuition regarding this area.”
Quick answer from the Rent now service
Oulu-born Juha also lived in a single-family home in Järvenpää for seven years. Having more space made it possible to engage in hobbies at home and nature was near, but at the time, Juha is extremely comfortable in the urban Kalasatama district. He is dreaming of buying a home in the area, but the loan servicing costs alone would easily equal the rent, especially now with the threat of interest rate hikes. The owner-occupied apartment would have to be considerably smaller than his current home.
The rental apartment in Jätkäsaari was a studio apartment, and not that many items fit in it when moving from the single-family home. The two-room apartment in Kalasatama has a floor area of 45.5 square metres. After a few weeks of planning, the interior decoration was completed after four hours of online shopping. Even though Juha does not consider the interior decoration perfect, each area of the home has been thought out to be functional. Juha has been very pleased with Avara as a lessor. The building is very comfortable, the surfaces are new and the floor plan is successful.
Avara is easy to get in touch with, and answers come quickly. That is also what happened in November, when Juha on the spur of the moment in the middle of the working day decided to try out Avara’s Rent now service. The apartment, which was about to be completed, looked good already in the virtual presentation. The answer came within 20 minutes. Also after that, all move-in communications, picking up the key and the entire move-in process proceeded in an excellent way. The tenant’s information package folder was waiting for him in the apartment, and the sauna, for example, can be booked through an app.
“Everything is as modern and automated as can be. Previously, the lessor always had a specific person to contact. At Avara, everything works modernly, efficiently and reliably, and above all, with ease for the tenant,” Juha sums up.
