The process for buying property in Norway is not very different from that of Britain, with an average amount of bureaucracy to wade through and little in the way of restrictions on ownership for foreigners.

Once a property has been decided upon a trusted local lawyer should be employed to help with all dealings/translations and the like. Once a deposit has been paid of around ten to fifteen percent of the purchase price, a contract is drawn up by the estate agent (if one is used, of course) and is checked by lawyers involved in the sale. Once it has been given the all-clear the signing occurs by all parties along with documents being notarised and all outstanding fees are paid in full. The property is then registered with the Local Land Registry and the sale is final.

Mortgages are available from banks throughout the country, with the property acting as collateral on the deal. Fees apply to many aspects of the purchase, with lawyer and notary fees the most common, along with land and local taxes that have to be covered.