Guide
Selling property without a broker — is it legal, and how does it work?
Yes, selling your home privately is fully legal in Sweden. The only legal requirement is a correctly drafted purchase agreement. Here are the steps, the cost — and where to find buyers when Hemnet isn't an option.
This guide is general information, not legal advice.
Is it legal to sell privately?
Yes. Swedish law has no requirement to use a broker to sell property. You're free to negotiate price and terms directly with a buyer. The only thing that must be in place is a properly drafted purchase agreement (and for a bostadsrätt, approval from the housing association) — the easiest way to cover that is bringing in a broker or lawyer for just that step, not the whole process.
Why Hemnet isn't an option
Hemnet doesn't accept listings directly from private sellers — every listing has to go through a connected broker. That makes Hemnet the wrong channel if you're selling on your own. SökHem is built for exactly this: you list directly, for free, and get matched with buyers who are already looking for a home like yours.
How to sell without a broker — step by step
- 1
Value the property
Base your price on actual comparable sale prices in your area, not a broker-fee-driven asking price.
- 2
List it
Address, photos, price and size. Listing on SökHem is free and takes minutes.
- 3
Reach the right buyers
Instead of waiting on Hemnet traffic, your listing is matched directly against buyers whose criteria fit.
- 4
Handle viewings and bids
Chat, book viewings and manage bids yourself — entirely on your terms.
- 5
Sign the contract
Bring in a broker or lawyer for just the contract step if you want the legal side quality-checked.
What does it cost to sell without a broker?
A traditional broker fee usually runs 1.5–3% of the sale price — on a 3,000,000 kr home that's 45,000–90,000 kr. Selling privately via SökHem, listing is free; the only real cost is typically the contract drafting, a fraction of a full broker fee.
Want to see the whole sale process step by step, from valuation to handover? Read our guide to selling your home privately.
Frequently asked questions
No. There's no legal requirement for a broker. You can handle the whole process yourself, from listing to bidding. Many people bring in a broker or lawyer only to draft the purchase agreement.
Yes. For a bostadsrätt the housing association needs to approve the new owner, but that's a separate step from the sale itself and doesn't require a broker.
Hemnet only accepts listings from connected brokers. SökHem accepts listings directly from private sellers, for free, and matches your home against buyers who've already searched for criteria it meets.
The biggest risk is an incorrectly drafted purchase agreement. The fix isn't hiring a broker for the whole process — it's bringing one in specifically for the contract step, while you keep control of the rest.
SökHem matches your home against buyers who've already specified what they're looking for — size, price, area and property type. When your listing matches a buyer's profile, it appears in that buyer's daily summary, instead of you waiting to be found.