Steep staircases, tiny toilets, large living room windows perfect for snooping in, these are all Dutch housing stereotypes that most expats are familiar with. However, the process of finding and buying a house in the Netherlands is less clear.
In November, my better half and I bought our first home here in Leiden but the road to the notary's office was a long one and we are now realising that the finished, decorated product is still some way off.
Everyone has a different experience in the house buying process. In these articles, I share some of my observations. I am keen to hear yours!
The current market is still fairly stagnant with many homeowners holding off selling their property until they feel they can get a better price. The real estate agents (makelaars) we spoke to said that they were securing half of the sales they were notching up this time two years ago. As a consequence, house hunting is a laborious process!
We were helped by the fact that I work from home and could view houses during the day but even then it took me over a year to find and successfully bid on a house. I think I must have seen around 50 properties in total.
To begin with, my expectations were unrealistic. The cost of properties in Leiden is fairly high. Finding a sizeable home in a central location with a garden is not easy. Finding all that within budget is even harder.
As the months rolled by, my dream of the perfect home - that grand town house sitting on a picturesque canal - melted away. Those few houses we did like were snapped up quickly, sometimes in the period between arranging a viewing and actually getting to see the house. This became frustrating.
My first tip therefore is to keep a close eye on the well known property sites but also to consider signing up with an estate agency.
By doing this, you sometimes get to see properties just before they are officially advertised online. It gives you a vital day or two ahead of the competition! Our makelaar also "saved our bacon" when we almost put a bid on a house that turned out to be overpriced and in an undesirable neighbourhood.
Secondly, I would highlight that you need to budget realistically. If you do sign up with an expert they will give you a ball-park figure of what you can afford but keep in mind the hidden extras such as the transfer tax, interpreter and notary fees. This tends to add up to 10% of your purchase price and that is before you add he costs of renovation and decorating.
If you are at a stage where you are feeling disheartened in your house hunt, I would say to keep at it! We settled upon a canal-side tussenwoning situated on the edge of the town centre. After put in the offer, not expecting to get a positive reply, we were quite shell-shocked when the makelaar rang us with the good news that we were successful in our bid.
Moving house in Holland - Part 2 (Buying a house & At the notary's office) can be found here.