Buying a house in the Netherlands when you are new here

Buying a house in the Netherlands starts with your budget and with research into the property. Once your offer is accepted come the written purchase agreement, the mortgage application and the transfer at the notaris.

Do your research on the house and set your budget before you sign. The contract holds the conditions and the dates you are bound by afterwards.

Prepare your mortgage and your own money

Your income and the value of the house set the limits on your mortgage. In an ordinary situation you can borrow up to 100% of the value of the house. For the purchase costs, and for any difference with your offer, you need money of your own.

If you have a residence permit, income from abroad or the 30% ruling, take those details to your mortgage adviser. They can call for extra documents. Before you bid, have it confirmed which documents your lender asks for.

Research the house and bid with conditions

Ask how the bidding process works. With sealed bids you usually do not see what other buyers are offering.

Decide which investigations you want carried out before you bid. Agree a survey condition and a financing condition where appropriate, so the contract sets out on which terms you can still withdraw. Record the transfer date and the items left behind as well.

Read the contract before you sign

Once both parties have signed, the purchase agreement binds you. As a private buyer you have a statutory cooling-off period. After that, a condition only helps if it was agreed and you meet its requirements.

A financing condition has a deadline and requires substantiation. Miss the deadline and the contractual consequences can be large. So keep the application and the statements you need.

If you miss that deadline, you lose your right to invoke the condition and you are committed to the purchase. If you then fail to complete, the seller can hold you to the penalty in the standard contract. That is usually 10% of the purchase price, after a written notice of default and a period to put things right.

Set money aside for the purchase costs

In 2026 transfer tax is usually 2% where you are going to live in the house yourself for a longer period. You may pay nothing, through the first-time buyer exemption, on four conditions:

• you are 18 or older and younger than 35 on the day of the transfer
• you are going to live there yourself for a longer period
• you have not used the exemption before
• the house is worth no more than €555,000

The amounts apply to transfers in 2026. If your transfer date falls in 2027, check the amounts that apply then with your notaris.

On top of that you pay the notaris, the valuation and the mortgage advice. Compare quotes and set those costs next to your own contribution to the purchase price.

The notaris handles the transfer

The notaris acts impartially for buyer and seller, checks the transfer, draws up the deeds and arranges the payment and the registration. Once the deed of transfer is registered at the Land Registry you are the legal owner.

Ask in advance for an explanation you understand. Discuss whether an interpreter is needed. Read the draft documents beforehand and put your questions before the appointment.

What to do now

• work out which costs come on top of the purchase price, because you finance those yourself
• ask your mortgage adviser what your residence permit and your employment mean
• set your own maximum before the viewing. With sealed bids you usually do not get to see what others are offering