Ari Talkamo sold a one-bedroom apartment in two weeks – private sales of homes rise without agents

Ari Talkamo, 70, sold a 32-square-metre one-bedroom apartment in southern Lauttasaari, Helsinki, in just over two weeks without using a real estate agent, according to Yle.

The asking price was just under €220,000 and the buyer purchased it as their first home. Talkamo, who has sold properties himself multiple times, said the process was straightforward and relied on publicly available information and self-taken photographs.

“It’s not very complicated. You get all the important documents from the housing management office and just follow their instructions to prepare the listing,” he said.

Private sales of homes have more than doubled on major Finnish property platforms Oikotie and Etuovi since the early 2020s, rising from around 5% to about 12% of all listings, according to Tiina Aalto-Fischer, managing director of Oikotie.

Small apartments, particularly one-bedroom units, account for the highest share of private sales, sometimes reaching one-fifth of listings. The trend is also visible in row houses, where small family units have sold relatively well even in a sluggish market, encouraging owners to attempt private sales.

Aalto-Fischer noted that selling without an agent does not automatically save money. Poor pricing can lead to prolonged market time or financial loss, potentially costing more than agent fees.

“If a seller overprices initially, it can be harder to attract buyers even after lowering the price. Time is money, especially if carrying costs for two homes overlap,” she said.