Saga and her colleagues build homes

Following several years of studies in various places, Saga Andersson and partner longed for a quieter place to settle. Its location between Stockholm in Gothenburg led them to choose Skaraborg. Today, everything has fallen into place and Saga is doing marvelously both in her single-family home in Lundsbrunn and at work for Götenehus.
 
Saga has been living in Lundsbrunn, a small community in Götene municipality for almost a year. After several years of study in places like Jönköping and Gothenburg, Saga Andersson and her other half had grown tired of ever only living in any one place temporarily. They longed for something more permanent with more space and a yard.
 
Saga, originally from Stockholm, explains how they began looking at Skaraborg because it’s located half way between Stockholm and Gothenburg where the couple have family, while housing was in a price range that meant they could achieve their dream of a yard and space for multiple pets more quickly. But moving to a smaller town was also unnerving.

“For me, moving someplace new in a smaller town felt like a major decision. So we began by renting an apartment in downtown Lidköping so we could get a feel for this part of Sweden to see if we would enjoy living there. After we’d been there for a few months, it felt right to begin house-hunting.”

Having looked at row houses and single-family homes that needed TLC in Lidköping and attending open-house viewings, Saga began looking a little way outside of town. Their dream home popped up just across the municipal boundary. Pretty soon Saga, her other half and their two dogs will have lived in the house in Lundsbrunn for a year.
 
“This is the first time I’ve owned a home and sometimes it still seems a bit unreal that things have worked out so well, exactly the way I dreamed. The summer was incredible! Having a yard and being able to invite people round and sit outside is glorious.”

"We build homes"

When Saga moved to Lidköping, she worked remotely for a start-up company. To become part of the community, she hired space at a co-waking place in Skara for a while, but she still lacked the social contact that having colleagues provides. When she saw that Götenehus was looking for employees she applied, and today she’s one of two people in the company’s marketing department. Saga tells us that beginning work as a newbie for a company with such a long local history was a bit unnerving.
 
“I worried that it would be difficult to become part of the gang at a workplace with so much history where many people had worked for so long. But there was nothing to worry about. The atmosphere here is very welcoming, open and reassuring. Everyone shares their expertise and going to work feels great!”

Two people work in Saga’s department. She describes her assignment as wide-ranging; she writes website and print copy, develops communications concepts, creates material for advertising campaigns and evaluates communications initiatives.

“I don’t like doing just one thing but enjoy variation in my assignments. My goal has always been to work in an organization with a small marketing department where I'm more likely to be involved in many different types of projects. Having many things to get to grips with suits me well, and I feel it gives me the best opportunity to develop most.”

However, Saga never thought she would end up working for a company that involved sales. The focus of her studies was on risk and crisis communication. But selling houses is a much bigger thing than run-of-the-mill purchasing. For Saga and her colleagues, it’s all about making dreams come true.

“After all, buying a house is something people usually do only once in a lifetime. It’s among the biggest and scariest decisions people will ever take, and we bear a great responsibility vis-à-vis our customers. Reassuring people in what for them is a scary process makes for exciting communications challenges. We don’t just build houses, we build homes, and this makes my job feel valuable and important.”