This story is about Marine and Kotaro who just bought a home in Norway, less than 3 months after they arrived in Norway to work as researchers. They are a living proof that it is possible for newcomers to do what almost all Norwegians do – own their own home. They just needed some help, which home buying consultant Trude Larsen in were delighted to give them.
The first steps
They came in contact with Boligdama Trude Larsen, while they were still in the states and after searching the internet. The first step was to correspond by e mail about financing, information about mortgage possibilities in Norway and house prices in the different areas that would suit the family. They arrived in Oslo at Christmas and rented an apartment on a short time lease. After meetings with a couple of banks in January they were ready to being the house hunt together with the home buying consultant.
A lot of courage
It takes courage to hunt for a semi detached house in the Oslo area just when the market is on its peak. But this couple where very courageous and determined to get what they wanted, a nice family house with good communications to Oslo and the Oslo airport at Gardemoen.
After the financing were finalized in mid February we could start our house hunt for real. Both the home buying consultant and the family found and exchanged suitable objects on finn.no, the site where all properties are advertised in Norway. The job of the home consultant was to assess and ensure the quality of the houses based on the sales material and their market knowledge. To give advice about possible selling price and bidding strategy was also a very important part of the process.
Close communication
Thanks to a tight and straight forward communication from Marine and Kotara and their eagerness to view different properties we were able to find a house after less than a month with active search. And we succeeded in finding a detached house in the same area which we one week before had lost the bidding round, to a lower price. Our concern as home buying consultant was to help them to find a suitable house to live in an at the same time try to ensure that they would get their investment back when they hade finished their work in Norway after 3 – 4 years.
The couple describes the buying process and their new home like this:
What did you appreciate the most of the help you got from the home buying consultant?
It was great to get help to understand the system of home buying in Norway and be guided through the whole process from getting a loan, reading through all the documentation, doing the biding, to reading the final sale contract and getting the keys of our new house! The home buying consultant Trude made us more secure in the process so we felt like we were able to make good decisions. The fact that the home buying consultant works only for the buyer and that we paid a flat fee, not pro-rated on the price of the house, made the whole experience very pleasant, because there was no pressure to buy as soon as possible the most expensive house. On the contrary, we could feel that Trude wanted us to get a good deal and find a house that we loved that would fit our needs, wishes and budget!
What are the favorite features in your new house?
We were originally looking at a row house, but were very fortunate to find a detached house in our price range! We love the garden, which will be perfect for our young son and our dog. The house is very light and well kept so we can move right in. It was very important for us to be able to have our parents visit us, and the house is perfect fit for that. The location is perfect: quiet, easy commute to Oslo and very child friendly!
Would you recommend other foreigners to buy a house in Norway?
Yes, if you have the money we would recommend it. The housing market in Norway is based on self owning. It is quite expensive to rent a house with a good standard. The housing market has been very good for sellers so far in Norway so we hope to get our investment back after a few years.
Congratulation and thanks
Congratulation to Marine and Kotaro, their little son and dog. It was a pleasure to cooperate with them. We are also grateful for the knowledge and experiences they provided us with regarding how foreigners can succeed with buying a home in Norway. Experience we hope that other new customers will benefit from.
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