Transfer of properties

Name: Transfer of properties
Topic: Construction, housing and property

Division for Housing, Property, Spatial and Agricultural Statistics

The statistics are published at county and municipality level.

The statistics are published quarterly. Preliminary figures are published about 6 weeks after end of quarter. Usually, final figures are available about 32 weeks after end of quarter. The difference between preliminary and final figures is under 1 per cent.

The statistics are based on the date of registration. This date can be several weeks or months later than the date of sale. Data from finn.no from 2016 show that dwelling properties in average are sold 2-3 mounths before the date of registration.

Microdata are stored in Statistics Norway.

The aim is to provide statistics on the extent of transfers of real property in Norway. The statistics have comprised the present level of details since 1991. With fewer details the statistics go back to 1836. However, statistics are lacking for the years 1981-1983.

As from 2017 registered transfers of property owned through a housing cooperative are included.

Users are public institutions, estate agents, media and people in general.

No external users have access to the statistics and analyses before they are published and accessible simultaneously for all users on ssb.no at 8 am. Prior to this, a minimum of three months' advance notice is given in the Statistics Release Calendar. Read more about principles for equal treatement of all users on ssb.no.

Since 1991 Statistics Norway has worked out the quarterly House Price Index , which provides current price statistics for the housing market.

Statistics Norway also works out statistics on registered transfers of agricultural properties . This statistics are based on the properties defined as agricultural properties in the farm register owned by Norwegian Agriculture Agency.

The Statistics Act §§ 2-1, 3-2.

The statistics comprise all registered transfer of real property (and from 2017 registered transfer of property owned through a housing cooperative) and not only real sales. In addition to sales on the free market, the statistics also include donations, forced sales, expropriations, licensed decent estates, inheritance of decent estate and other registered transfers of title. The statistics include three types of real property: parcels, leases and sections of buildings registered as freehold.

Transfer of real property may occur without registration, but this is very uncommon.

A few transfers include more than one dwelling property unit or holiday property unit.

The statistics are based on data from two governmental administrative registers: the Register of Deeds ("Grunnboka") and the Norwegian Cadastre system (real properties, addresses, buildings and cadastral map). The Norwegian Mapping Authority has been managing the latter register for many years and has in the period 2004-2007 gradually taken over the management of the Register of Deeds from the local courts.

The statistics comprise all registered transfers of real property.

Data from the registers mentioned in chapter 3.2 are forwarded via file transfer and API to Statistics Norway.

The data are subject to computerized controls to detect lacks, errors, extreme values and lack of coherence. Data are corrected by means of additional information from the Register of Real Properties, Addresses and Buildings.

Mainly, the statistics comprise counting of transfers by various characteristics, e.g. type of property, type of transfer, with/without building and type of dwelling. Registered amount in NOK is also added up.

Registered amount is estimated as follows:

If the purchase price is above NOK 1, the registered amount is based on the purchase price. If the purchase price is NOK 1 or less, the registered amount is based on the value of the property stated on the deed of conveyance.

As from 2017 registered transfer of property owned through a housing cooperative is included. Data on share of common debt in the cooperatve come from tax statistics for persons. If data on debt is missing, an average value is used.

Figures based on less than three units (transfers) are not published if this causes risk for identifying any of the units concerned. Furthermore, figures are not published if more than 90 per cent of the registered amount originates from a single unit.

Statistics on transfers of real property exist as a continuous time series from 1836 to 1980. The statistics show the number of transfers and the registered amount, distributed on urban and rural areas. In addition, as from 1852 to 1980 a time series is available on average price per unit of assessed site value for agricultural properties sold on the free market.

Up to and including 1980, the statistics were based on aggregated data forwarded directly from local courts to Statistics Norway. The Register of Real Properties, Addresses and Buildings was established around 1980. The intension was to use this register as base for the statistics as from 1981. However, at that time data from several municipalities were lacking and the data quality for municipalities included was partially poor. Due to this, statistics are lacking for the years 1981-1983. As from 1984 statistics are published again, but for some years data were still of rather poor quality. Statistics at present level of details are published as from 1991.

Before 2006, the statistics were published in this way: 1st quarter, 1st half year, 1.-3. quarter and the whole year. As from 2006, the statistis are published quarterly.

Average price per transfer is published for transfers of dwelling properties with building and holiday properties with building. Properties without purchase price reported are not included. Dwelling property refers to detached houses, semi-detached houses, row-houses, flats in multi dwelling houses etc. Percentage of different dwelling types varies over time. For holiday properties a few transfers may include more than one holiday property unit. Due to these circumstances, the average value do not describe the price trend for a specific type of dwelling or holiday property, particularly not when the average figure is based on just a few transfers.

Therefore, average prices are not published for a lower level than county.

See the section revisions.

The statistics are based mainly on information reported in connection with registration of title to property and thus considered to be reliable. Misclassification of type of property and type of dwelling may occur.

In the period 2004-2007 the number of registered transfers classified as other type of property and other type of dwelling has increased. Registered transfers not specified have also increased. During the control routine we are not able to replace all of the transfers with the correct classification.

Errors originate from data processing in Statistics Norway are considered to be insignificant.

There are formal procedures to be followed when registering a real property. Consequently, non-response does not exist. Delay in the updating of the relevant registers may cause minor lacks in the preliminary statistics.

As from 2017 registered transfer of property owned through a housing cooperative is included. Data on the share of common debt in the cooperatve come from tax statistics for persons. If data on debt is missing, an average value is used.

The figures for dwelling and holiday properties in free sale for the years 2015-2020 have been changed. This is because several dwellings and a small number of holiday properties have by mistake been changed from the free sale to donation. These have now been changed back to free sale.

By linking information about the buyers and sellers involved in the sales with information from the National Population Register, we have been able to determine if any of the buyers are family members of the sellers. Up to three sellers and two buyers from each sale were included in the assessment of whether the buyer is related to the seller.

The following relatives are included in the test:

• Spouse
• Parents
• Children
• Siblings
• Grandparents
• Aunts/uncles

Sales that are declared as free market sales should be placed in the ‘other’ category if the price is lower than the market price. The guidelines for the statistics have not included any criteria for inclusion as a free market sale in terms of how the dwelling is sold or who buys the property. The only requirement has been for it to be sold at market price. This is often difficult to assess.

We have therefore examined how house sales to family members that are categorised as free market sales differ from the rest of the sales. We have only included sales with title transfers here. The average purchase price for dwellings sold to family members was significantly lower than the average for all free market sales. The low purchase price suggests that many of these dwellings were sold at a reduced price. Sales that are declared as free market sales have been placed in the ‘other category from 2015 if the buyer is related to the seller.