Buying a home from a private seller?

Some homes on Finnting are sold directly by the owner — without an estate agent. That is common in Norway, and it is legal, but there are some important differences from an agent-led sale that you should know about.

What does "Selges av eier" mean?

Homes marked "Selges av eier (privatsalg)" — for sale by owner (private sale) — are sold directly by the owner, without an authorised estate agent. Finnting is the meeting place and provides the tools — the bidding round, bid log and messaging — but we are not a party to the transaction.

Your rights are the same

As a buyer, you have the same rights under avhendingslova (the Norwegian property sale act) whether you buy from a private owner or through an estate agent. The seller has a duty to disclose known faults and defects in the home. The 2022 amendments to avhendingslova apply in full: "sold as is" disclaimers are heavily restricted, and the seller carries more responsibility for hidden defects than before.

What you don't have without an estate agent

The estate agent's role is to make sure the process is orderly and lawful — that role is absent in a private self-sale:

No duty of care from an agent. An authorised estate agent must look after both parties' interests. That responsibility falls away.
No Finanstilsynet (the Norwegian Financial Supervisory Authority) oversight. You cannot complain to Reklamasjonsnemnda for eiendomsmegling (the estate agency complaints board) about the seller's process — that board only covers authorised agents.
More responsibility on you. You should check the land register (grunnboken), liens and easements yourself — something an agent normally does for both parties.

What you should do as a buyer

Ask for the condition report and the seller's self-declaration. An approved condition report from a building surveyor is your most important source of factual knowledge about the home. Read it carefully. The seller orders it — but you should insist on seeing it.
Check the land register. Look for liens, mortgages and easements. Every property listing on Finnting has a direct link to Kartverket Eiendomsregisteret (the Norwegian land registry) — find it in the cadastral information section on the listing.
Place bids through Finnting's bidding system. The bidding round takes place on the platform — you bid in writing, with a bid log and consumer information, exactly as in an agent-run round. Bids are binding and there is no cooling-off period. Read more in How to place a bid.
Make sure the settlement is safe. Banks will not pay out your mortgage directly to a private individual's account. The settlement — land registration, discharge of mortgages and the money transfer — must go through an authorised settlement firm or a lawyer. The seller normally arranges this, but make sure it has actually been arranged. You can find approved firms in Finanstilsynet's register of firms.

In short

Private self-sales are common and legal. Your rights as a buyer against the seller are the same as in an agent-led sale. The difference is that you don't have an estate agent watching over the process — so the condition report, the land-register check and a safe settlement through an authorised third party are yours to follow up.

This is information, not legal advice. If you are unsure about anything, talk to a lawyer or an estate agent.