Oct. 30 (Bloomberg) -- Kimi Raikkonen, the world’s second- highest paid athlete before being dropped by the Ferrari Formula One team, is having trouble selling a 14.5 million-euro ($21.5 million) second home in his native Finland.

“The potential clientele for this price range is very small,” Pasi Saari, the realtor for the property, said in an interview. “It’s the most expensive home for sale in Finland.”

Raikkonen’shouse in the Nordic nation’s capital of Helsinki has been on the market for about a year, said Saari, whose company, Westatus Oy, is a franchise of a Finnish real estate unit of Danske Bank A/S. So far, about ten potential buyers have balked at the asking price, he said.

Raikkonen, who won the Formula One title for Ferrari in 2007, earned $45 million in 2008, second only to golfer Tiger Woods, Forbes business magazine reported June 17. The 30-year- old Raikkonen, known as “Iceman” for his calm nerves, is without a team for the 2010 season that starts in March after Ferrari dumped him for Fernando Alonso.

Raikkonen, who currently lives in Switzerland, started in Formula One in 2001. Raikkonen’s spokesman Riku Kuvaja didn’t return calls and a text message sent to his mobile phone.

The three-story mansion, completed in 2006, boasts a walled garden, sun-deck, basketball court and deep boat dock. Its eight rooms are decorated in a minimalist, modern style with leather and hardwood. An animal skin rug adorns the black and white master bedroom.

The price, 16,111 euros per square meter, compares with the mean price of 2,614 euros per square meter for new one-family homes in the Helsinki metropolitan area, according to second- quarter data published by Statistics Finland on Sept. 11.

Bridges to Island

Bridges lead to the island where the house, previously owned by Finnish millionaire Jussi Salonoja, is located, 6.3 kilometers (3.9 miles) from the city center. The next-door neighbor is Mika Hakkinen, the 1998 and 1999 Formula One world champion, and across the bay are the residences of Finland’s President Tarja Halonen and Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen.

The house has an underground garage for eight vehicles and the sea glimmers through the windows into the sauna area with a wood-paneled hot tub. Black leather sofas line the adjacent room with speakers built into the gray stone wall of the fireplace.

The 900 square-meter (9,690 square-foot) home also has a wine cellar, a German kitchen fitted for a professional chef and a lift between floors.

“It’s fit for entertaining,” said Saari. “Still, it’s more of a family home than an official residence.”

To contact the reporter on this story: Kati Pohjanpalo in Helsinki at kpohjanpalo@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: October 30, 2009 05:13 EDT