Many of my Norwegian relatives were farmers. Often when the parents passed away, the land was divided up among the children. But so far as I read in my grandfather's journal, every time those children would sell their deed to the oldest. Was this something that happened a lot among other families in Norway? Or was it just a way to make sure the farm stayed in the family's name?
Inheritance and property rights are an area of Norwegian law and long standing custom that can be difficult to summarize for you. But yes, your family's story is quite common.