With the help of Boligdama, it was super easy to buy an apartment in Norway.

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Despite the time difference and a bit of formalities, Trude took care of every step in the process, which made us feel very confident that things were done correctly and as expected. She was with us in all the video conversations with the broker and made sure that all things were cleared out and that all relevant information was given.

She answered all possible questions we had and did a solid check of the builder and what quality we could expect in the apartment. With her expertise and long experience, we received lots of good advice and fantastic follow-up. We could not have completed this process and bought an apartment in Norway without her help.

Thank you very much for this good feedback from Astrid and Arik that I have helped with purchasing a home in a super exciting project in Nydalen in Oslo.

This is how the home purchase became a reality

The couple, who live in the USA, wanted a base in Norway that they could stay in when they were visiting. And maybe settle down permanently, when they retire. Oslo and Norway were not chosen randomly, since Astri is from Norway and has family here. They also have a son who has settled in our country.

After some waiting time from the first contact with Boligdama to prepare financing and survey wishes for the new home, we started our joint house hunt, just before Christmas 2022.

With today’s technology, long-distance home buying is not a problem. Both digital meetings and Boligdama’s communication system were used extensively. The only thing that could be a little confusing was keeping in mind the time difference.

When house hunting in collaboration with Boligdama, both parties usually are eager to follow what comes out on the market. It is naturally difficult to stay away from finn.no, home buying platform in Norway, when you are in buying mode!

After checking a number of proposed homes during the month of January, which were not entirely to their liking, Astri and Arik themselves found a home in the Vertikalen project. It is a very special building that is under construction in central Nydalen, Oslo. Here there was a vacant home that suited their budget. Vertikalen is an innovative building with a strong focus on environment and sustainability.

Boligdama did research on the project, contacted the broker and advised them to go ahead with the home. Broker Jan Græsvig from DnB arranged a joint digital meeting with us where we could see a solar diagram, illustrations of the building and apartment , optional extras and answers to all questions. They decided to submit a purchase offer. Which the seller approved.  Thus, the home purchase agreement was concluded, at least almost.

There was a little bit of fuss afterwards, with formalities and things that had to be sent by post from the USA. But, with a little patience, it also worked out.

Bureaucracy and slow mail are trifles in the grand scheme of things.

The most important thing is that they have bought themselves an exciting home that they are very much looking forward to taking over in the autumn of 2023.

Congratulation !

Best regards
Boligdama – Trude Larsen
950 37 330 – trude@boligdama.no

 

 

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Surprisingly increase in home buying prices in Norway so far in 2023.

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House prices rose by 1,2% in March.  Looking back at the last 12 months, house prices are now at the same level as a year ago.  

This means that the housing price fall in the autumn of 2022 has been “eaten up”.

For home buyers the supply of homes for sale is important, combined with demand from buyers.  There are fewer homes listed for sale than last year, and there are slightly fewer unsold objects at the end om March than it was earlier this year.  After the Easter Holiday, now in April it seem like the lack of homes put up for sale continues.

Usually there is a spring flow of homes for sale after Easter holiday, but so far it has not occured.

Prices could continue to raise if the lack of homes on the market continues.  However mos experts believe that we will see a decline in prices forwards. We have not yet seen the top of the interest rates!

The market is still somewhat clmer than other periods of rising prices, sales take a little bit longer time.  That is an advantage for the buyers.  But be aware that the market is selective.  If you go for the most attractive objects, you will experience tough bidding rounds where you have to stretch your rope or risking not to reach out in the competition.

If you want to have an non-binding talk or digital meeting about the market or your possibilities on the market, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Download my booklet of home to buy a home in Norway

 

 

 

 

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Which neighbourhoods in Norway are safe?

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As in all other countries home buying in Norway is mainly about:

Location- location – location.

Location is a very import requirement for most home hunting people. People have some ideas about which areas are nice to live in or they have some connections to certain areas and the qualities you will find there.

But sometimes the wishes do not match with the money…
The purchase prices differ considerably according to the location and attractiveness, and some areas are regarded better than others. Because of type of houses located there, and available services, communication possibilities, number of schools and access to nature for example. But also, demographic conditions come into play.

Now I am getting closer to the main point of this article.

How safe is it to live in the different parts of the bigger cities in Norway?  Which part of the city is the safest neighbourhoods?

Many foreigners, especially people from USA and other bigger countries, are very concerned about this issue. It is of course a very important question, but most Norwegian are not so concerned about the security issue itself. They wish of course for a good living environment, but since most neighbourhoods are perfectly safe the safety issue is not so important.

We have of course some smaller social problems, for example in the outskirts of Oslo, where safety can be an issue, but they are very few.

In most places in Norway, you will be perfectly safe in your home and the neighbourhood.

Despite of this, many Norwegians have somewhat stereotypical perceptions of which areas are nice to live in and they are gladly sharing these opinions to you if you start talking about buying a home.
Please do not take it for granted that all this information is correct. Do your own research, and if possible, visit the different areas to look for yourself.

If you need some advice about where you can afford to buy a property and objective information of different neighbourhoods, please ask me.

I will give you the information to you for free. And I promise to be completely honest!

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How to buy a house in rural parts of Norway

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Norway is a beautiful country, no doubt about that.   Many foreigners have a dream about buying a house in a rural area in Norway.  On the countryside, by the fjord or ocean and maybe also north of the polar circle.

I have had several inquiries about this and been able to help some of them to fulfil their dream.

However, there are some obstacles, that makes this a little bit more difficult than buying a home or cottage in  densely populated areas.

First of all, the market are a little bit limited.

Many rural homes, especially the less expensive one, are not put on the market very often.  Relatives, that inherit these properties, tend to keep them for themselves.  To use them for holiday purpose or Airbnb for tourists.  This is especially common in the North of Norway.  Some places it is difficult even for young people who want to stay in their home community or move to a small village to buy a house for their family.

The same problem applies for small farms.  It is seldom for sale.  The family keeps them, or they are merged with other bigger farms nearby.

Also many Norwegian are dreaming of buying a small farm, but they tend to wish for objects that are near a city or bigger village.  This increase the demand and the sales prices are quite high.

Even if the market is a bit limited, there are still homes for sale.

But it is important to be aware of some Laws and Regulation that can be connected to these properties.

  • Obligation to live rule. Boplikt
    Municipalities can implement rules these rules. You cannot leave the house empty. You must either live there yourself the whole or part of the year and rent it out for the rest of the year. This is a policy to prevent the creation of ghost towns.
  • Duty to get official permission for owning the house – Konsesjon
    This is very common for agricultural properties. There may be a duty to run agricultural activities.  It is the buyer’s responsibilities to get these permissions after the purchase. It is also a possibility to subcontract the land. But you will never know if this is possible before you are applying for permission to own the property.

The realtor will inform about conditions for the sale in the sales material. It is very important to check out these things very carefully.   I will strongly advise you to seek help from an consultant like me before you give a bi on  a rural property.

Remember – the bid is binding in Norway!

Download my booklet about home buying in Norway

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