Transfers of agricultural properties, 2006

Compared to 2005, the average purchase price for agricultural properties sold on the free market increased by 9 per cent. In the period 2000-2006 average purchase price has almost doubled from NOK 630 000 to NOK 1.2 million. Average purchase price for agricultural properties with building sold on the free market rose from NOK 700 000 to NOK 1 260 000 in the same period, an 80 per cent increase. In the same period the average purchase price for dwellings sold on the free market rose by 56 per cent.

Fewer transfers

In 2006, a total of 8 800 transfers of agricultural properties were registered. This represents a 10 per cent decrease from the previous year. Slightly more than 2 700 of the properties were sold on the free market, 12 per cent fewer than in 2005.

Most of the agricultural properties sold on the free market were comparatively small. 85 per cent of the properties had less than 100 decares own agricultural area. One in three of the transferred properties had industrial activity in agriculture or forestry. For the properties sold on the free market one in four had such activity.

Differences in purchase price

The average purchase price varies a lot among different regions. A classification of municipalities by centrality and industrial link shows that average purchase price in less central service industry municipalities and primary industry municipalities was NOK 680 000 and NOK 710 000 respectively, while the average in central service industrial municipalities was NOK 2.7 million.

Not only agriculture

The purpose of use for the transferred properties is reported on the deed of conveyance. For the transferred agricultural properties sold on the free market in 2006, 62 per cent had agriculture as the purpose of use. In 2000, the corresponding per cent was 74.

Buyers were grown-up men

There are most men buying or taking over an agricultural property. For the transfers in total, 59 per cent of the new owners were men and 38 per cent were women. For the free market transfers, 70 per cent of the buyers were men, while 22 per cent were women and 8 per cent were impersonal.

In average for all transfers of agricultural properties in 2006, the new owner was 50 years old. For those who bought an agricultural property on the free market, the corresponding age was 44. Those who took over a property with an element of donation were in average 41 years old. For transfers within the family, the transfer is often registered as a donation.

Tables:

• Table 1 Registered transfer of agriculture properties, by county, size of owned agriculture area and size of productive forest area. 2006
• Table 2 Average purchase price for registered transfers of agricultural properties sold on the free market, by centrality2, size of owned agriculture area and size of productive forest area. 2006. NOK
• Table 3 Average purchase price per registered transfer of agricultural properties sold on the fre market, by size of owned agriculture area and size of productive forest area. 2006. NOK
• Table 4 Registered transfers of agricultural properties, by county, type of transfer and type and sex of buyer. 2006