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Comment by codetrotter | Hacker News Reader

In Norway it is possible to buy and sell houses without involving any real estate agents.

Here is a page in Norwegian with a checklist for selling a house in Norway without a real estate agent: https://www.forbrukerradet.no/forside/bolig/kjop-og-salg-av-...

The page I link to is written by Forbrukerrådet. They are an independent interest organization that helps consumers.

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Notice that Consumer Council's page is about selling a house without a real-estate agent. In the US, buyers also have a real-estate agent. In Norwegian and Danish (and presumably Swedish too), they are known as «mekler»/»mægler«, i.e. mediator in English.

In Scandinavia, at least, only sellers hire real-estate agents, buyers at most hire an attorney (which they probably should anyway).

I am personally on the lookout for a house in Denmark, but have not closed (or come close to) a deal yet, since it's not urgent. But my general perspective is that the housing markets in Scandinavia are very different from those in the US.

It's similar in New Zealand: sellers (usually) hire a real-estate agent, and buyers (usually) hire a lawyer to check the sale and purchase agreement, provide advice, and manage the exchange of money (kind of like escrow). The lawyer is much cheaper than the real-estate agent.

It's also apparently possible to do this in the US: https://www.redfin.com/blog/everything-to-know-about-buying-...

I'll need to research more to see what the caveats are.

Agents aren’t required in the US at all.

This is possible everywhere. Practicality varies.

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