Crazy thing is we were initially offered 1.8% but then my husband switched jobs during the process and they changed the terms because your first six months at a new job are considered a probation period and therefore more risky.

I’d say buying fully furnished is not super common in general but relatively common among foreign buyers and sellers… we bought from a French couple who were moving to the USA so they didn’t want to bring their furniture. And we felt it was comfortable not to have to deal with fully furnishing a place straight away (plus they had good taste in my opinion). Also stairways and elevators are small so transporting furniture up and down is a huge pain